


More than Madness

by whitewinehouse



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Adventure, Close Friendship, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Funny Smut, Humor, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, mature language, second season
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-22
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-02-05 14:58:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 50,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12796872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitewinehouse/pseuds/whitewinehouse
Summary: The three boys who had saved the world only months before are excited to find themselves with another member in their party - you, the one known as the "Bowie girl" in Hawkins High School. As the long time best friend of Steve Harrington and a law enforcement volunteer under Chief Jim Hopper, you know that there is something more to the Will Byers' case, and you are determined to find out what it is. Everything you thought you knew will literally turn upside down, but nothing will be as complex as your relationship with Steve Harrington.*Max deliberately excluded





	1. Lady Stardust

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“Dude, this is bullshit!” Dustin yelled, taking his game piece and hurling it across the basement. He sprung to his feet and began to pace. “This,” he pointed to the game board, “is child abuse!” 

“Shut up, man. You’re just mad that you’re losing,” Lucas sighed, although he looked just as irritated as Dustin. He rested his elbow on the table and leaned his forehead on his palm. 

“Will you all just shut up so we can finish and go to bed?” Mike asked, grabbing the dice. 

Dustin jabbed his finger at Michael. “See? The fact that you would rather go to bed than play another second of this stupid game just shows how abusive it is!” He strode over to the Monopoly game board and flipped it over. The boys shouted as all of their pieces and money went flying. “Made by Parker Brothers,” Dustin read on the bottom of the board. He immediately threw the board to the ground. “Well, screw you!” he shouted. 

“What the hell?” Mike snapped, motioning to the abused board. “The game sucked but we’ve been playing for like, a bazillion years. I put _effort_ into that!” 

“Can you all stop shouting?” Will asked, softer than a boy his age would usually talk in such a situation. The room immediately stilled. ‘

“Yeah, sorry, buddy.” Dustin clapped Will on the shoulder and sat down. A sly grin played on his lips. “And I’m sorry that Mike’s mom sucks for taking away D and D indefinitely because we took too long.” 

“Little did she know this stupid game would take just as long, except it’s boring,” Mike mumbled. 

All of the boys straightened up when they heard the crinkling of a candy wrapper. 

The Three Musketeer hovered over Dustin’s opened mouth. “What?” 

“Dude, you’re going to become a Three a Musketeer if you keep eating those,” Lucas jabbed. 

“Well, he would actually only be one of them,” Will peeped. “He can’t be all three.” 

Lucas batted the correction away with his hand. “Whatever. They’re still gross.” 

Dustin turned to Lucas, a blank look on his face. “Did you just say that you think Three Musketeers are gross?” 

“Yeah. Who cares?” 

Mike snickered behind his hand as Will let out a provocative, “Ohhhh.” 

“I’ll have you know,” Dustin began calmly, “that this candy was invented in the 30s. It is _historical!_!” He jabbed at the ground with his finger and stomped his food. 

Lucas snorted. “Historically _bad._ ” 

“That’s it! We’re putting it to a vote!” Dustin backed up. “Everyone in support of delicious nougat, raise your hand.” Will rose his hand and Dustin smiled in approval. “Mike, what the hell?” Dustin whined when he saw that his friend had kept his hand down. 

Mike shrugged. “It’s gross. The nougat doesn’t taste like anything. It’s just mush.” 

Lucas did a fist pump. “Yes!” 

“Hey!” Dustin snapped. “We’re tied. You haven’t won.” 

“So what do we do?” Mike asked. 

The basement was dead quiet except for the hum of the water heater. Then, the boys’ eyes met and they came to a silent decision. In a second, the boys flew across the room and clamored up the stairs. 

“Where on earth are you all hurrying to?” Mrs. Wheeler asked, a glass of wine in hand and a look of confusion on her face. 

“A quest for knowledge and enlightenment,” Dustin explained hurriedly before they burst through the door. 

“Be back by five,” Mrs. Wheeler said lamely. 

Their footsteps pounded on the asphalt as they hurled themselves down the driveway, the laces of their sneakers flying as they mounted their bikes. 

“I’m telling you, I’m going to win,” Dustin said as they began to pedal. 

Lucas snorted. “Shut up.” 

~*~

You lay on your bed with your eyes closed, letting David Bowie’s ethereal voice caress your ears. 

“Too young to choose it,” you sang, “too old to lose it, and the clock waits so patiently on your song.” You stretched on your bed and yawned, subconsciously tracing the Aladdin Sane lightning bolt tattoo on your right forearm. Everyone just called him David Bowie, but during that era he took on the persona Aladdin Sane, a play on “a lad insane.” Yet the general public was completely ignorant of his transformation. Most even thought he was still Ziggy. Granted, he still had the orange hair, but that was the only similarity. 

Amateurs. 

Your hair was dyed an obscene, Aladdin Sane orange, something your parents weren’t very fond of. David was currently in a perriot stage and his hair was much darker, but you had worked too hard to get rid of the orange. However, you did smudge your eyelids with light blue and orange eye shadow. You were the Bowie girl at school, and people digged it. 

Just when you got up to switch out the record to _Hunky Dory,_ your doorbell rang. You sighed. You had a bout of social anxiety and were not a fan of people in general. What made it worse was that you were comfortable. But you were home alone, so the task of answering the door fell to you. 

As you walked down the stairs, you decided that you weren’t going to open the door unless you needed to. As you gazed through the peep hole, you saw that you needed to. 

Dustin banged his fist on your door. “Dusty, open up! We have a matter of the up most importance!” 

To everyone you were known as “Dusty,” a nickname derived from the Bowie song, ‘Lady Stardust.’" 

“If it were that important, you would have remembered the secret knock!” you chided. 

Dustin grabbed his curls. “ _Shit!_ I don’t remember the knock!” He turned around. “Does anyone remember the knock?” 

Lucas rolled his eyes and pushed him aside. “Dude, it’s literally the most obvious thing in the world. It's the first notes to ‘Lady Stardust.’” 

“Ohhh,” Dustin breathed in realization. “That makes sense because she’s Dusty.” 

“Yeah, no shit.” Mike pushed Dustin, only to be shoved back. 

While the boys were roughhousing, Lucas had been methodically knocking on your door. Satisfied with the knock and the fact that they were forced to listen to the song over and over again to memorize the melody, you opened the door. “Enter, young knights.” You bowed. 

“How are we friends with an awesome 17 years old girl?” Will whispered. 

Mike leaned over. “Because she acts like she’s 15 and she is a guy friend.” 

“She was our Steve Harrington shield a couple months ago when you were…you know,” Dustin added as they followed you to the living room. 

Mike grinned. “Yeah. Steve tried to steal my bike one day and she slashed his car tires.” 

Will’s mouth dropped open. “Holy crap! She must really hate him.” 

Dustin shook his head as he threw himself on the couch. “They’re actually best friends.” He held up his hands. “I know. It literally doesn’t make sense. I have honestly been thinking of asking Mr. Clarke if there is some biological anomaly going on because it is _seriously_ messed up.” 

Lucas nodded. “I think we should.” 

“Definitely,” Mike agreed. 

“So what’s this important problem we need to solve?” you asked, taking a seat on the floor and flipping your long hair over your shoulder. 

As proper as the President, Dustin stood up. Straightening the lapels of his blue sweatshirt, he began; “Since the dawn of man there has been candy-” 

Lucas smacked Dustin on the back of the head. “No there hasn’t, you idiot! We used to eat dinosaur eggs or whatever.” 

“Dinosaurs were dead, moron,” Mike drawled. 

Lucas snorted. “Whatever. There still wasn’t any candy.” 

You held a hand over your mouth, doing your best to hide your laughter. The kids were just too funny, with their sharp tongues and childish arguments. 

Dustin pressed on. “ _Anyway,_ Three Musketeers is one of the world’s most favorite candy and the _only_ one with nougat.” He put his hands behind his back as he slowly began to pace. “Dusty, you have an important decision to make today. We are in a deadlock, trying to decide whether it is a good candy bar. So the vote falls to you.” Dustin held up a finger. “Please choose wisely, and vote yes.” 

“You can’t pander!” Mike shouted, jumping up. 

“It doesn’t matter. I already know how I feel about Three Musketeers.” You crossed your arms and watched as the boys looked at you with baited breath. “They’re disgusting.” Whatever your opinion truly was, you were going to answer the same. You wanted to watch the world burn. 

“No!” Dustin yelled, throwing his hat to the ground and falling to his knees while Lucas and Will pumped their fists and cheered. Mike just laughed, not nearly as invested as the other boys. 

You stood up, chuckling. “Do you guys want to stay for a movie?” 

“Um, hell yes.” Dustin answered. 

“Do you have The Exorcist?” 

You narrowed your eyes. “Would your parents be okay with me if I let you watch it?” When the kids stared at each other awkwardly, you laughed. “Even better. I have the VHS under the TV.” You might have well said that it was Christmas the way they ran to the television. “I need to make a phone call and then we will watch this girl’s head spin.” 

“You’re awesome, Dusty,” Mike said as you began to climb the stairs. Will was already shoving the tape into the VCR. 

You gave him a friendly smile. “You, too!” You turned back and leapt up the last few stairs and jogged into your room, immediately grabbing your sparkling blue telephone. You spun in the number and slid down onto the floor, resting your back against the wall. You listened as the line ringed, twirling the cord around your finger absent-mindedly. Just when you were about to hang up, a thick voice greeted you. 

“Hello?” 

“Dude, you’ve been crying again? Get a grip.” 

Steve sighed. “C’mon, Dusty. Don’t be a bitch.” 

You would lie if you said you didn’t feel bad. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” 

“Can you be a good best friend for like, five goddamn minutes?” 

You leaned forward. “Jesus, I apologized!” 

Steve grunted, but you did hear a sniffle. “I’m fine,” he mumbled. “The memories just kinda…hit me, you know?” 

“Yeah,” you said gently, “I know.” 

Steve sighed, making the speaker crackle. “What kind of person just strings someone along? If Nancy didn’t want to be with me, then she shouldn’t have been with me!” 

You sighed. Nancy Wheeler had truly ripped Steve to shreds. The most unfortunate thing was that it was so incredibly obvious that it was going to happen. 

“Two star crossed lovers,’” you said. 

“What?” 

You raised your eyebrows. “ _Romeo and Juliet_! It’s saying that their relationship was doomed at the start.” 

“At the start?” Steve cocked an eyebrow. “Our relationship sucked but it wasn’t that bad.” 

You let go of your phone cord and rolled your eyes. “God, I’m going to have to walk you through this.” You made yourself more comfortable. “Okay, Barb literally tried to pry Nancy from you because it was so out of character for her to be with someone like you. Your chi doesn’t vibe, man.” 

“What the fuck is chi?” To your delight, Steve laughed. 

“I honestly don’t know, but I wanted to sound like love Yoda.” You flicked your wrist. “Anyway, you were damned from the start and count your lucky stars that it didn’t take until marriage and three kids before this all blew up in your face.” 

The line was silent for a moment before Steve spoke. “You just made me feel better by telling me my relationship was a sham…” 

“Looove Yoda.” you snorted in response. “Well, I have a living room full of kids ready to watch an R rated horror film, so I have to go.” 

“Those little shits are over? Man, they are really trying to take away the social lives of upperclassmen.” 

You smiled. “I know you adore them.” 

You could only hear Steve’s breath until he finally groaned, “Yeah.” 

You stood up. “Alright. I’ll talk to you later. Fuck you.” 

“Fuck you too.” 

You placed the phone back into its cradle. It was an odd goodbye, but one you had used for years as your own weird term of endearment. 

“You all ready for some fucked up shit!?” you yelled as you galloped down the stairs. 

All of the boys cheered, excited to see something strange happen to someone who wasn’t them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max isn't in this because I didn't enjoy her character at all. Everyone else is accounted for!
> 
> I cannot even describe how much joy it brought me to write the boys' banter. I think it might be the most fun I've had writing. We are about to embark on a strange journey, and I hope you like it. 
> 
> I love David Bowie and didn't go to classes on the day he passed T^T
> 
> [ **Playlist**](https://open.spotify.com/user/213ylnekos7uay75n5agg6d3q/playlist/20y1Cc2LnCXOpXCT0vbgFQ?si=C62SHNG0RDeVJRsoLmkh6w) of all his songs mentioned and quoted


	2. Coffee and Midnights

  
[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Chief Jim Hopper hated mornings. He had to walk through the doors of the police station at 6AM after god knows how many hours of sleep he got. Sometimes he worked until…6AM. He was groggy and it took him at least an hour to form a coherent thought. His exhaustion drained the energy he needed to have any social grace, making him short tempered and irritated with absolutely everyone. So when he saw that the coffee carafe was empty, he was far from pleased. 

“Dusty!” He shouted, slamming the carafe back into place. “Where the _hell_ is the coffee?” 

You jumped in your chair, immediately realizing the severity of your mistake. You hopped up and ran to the break room, ignoring all of the sympathetic looks of your co-workers. 

“I’m so sorry!” The apology was already coming out of your mouth before you rounded the corner. “I just stayed up late and was a little foggy. I’m just tired.” Your voice faded at Hopper’s glare. 

“ _You’re_ tired?” He crossed his arms and leaned his hip on the counter. “You are seriously telling me that _you’re_ tired?” He licked his lips. “How do I feel in the morning?” he asked. 

“You feel like you hate everyone,” you said mechanically, hanging your head. 

“And what does coffee do?” 

“It makes you hate people less.” 

Hopper sighed and massaged his eyes. “Listen kid, I’m sorry. I’m just really, really -“ 

“Tired?” 

Hopper let out a short laugh, his eyes still closed. “Yeah. Grab yourself a donut. I hide a stash in the cabinet.” He pointed to the highest cabinet in the corner of the room. “I’ll make the coffee.” 

A couple minutes later, you were both munching on donuts with the break room door securely locked. 

“I don’t know why the hell I haven’t thought of this before.” Hopper pointed his Boston Cream at the locked door. 

You took a sip a coffee from your perch on the counter. “That’s because you’re tired in the morning.” Hopper spit his coffee back into his mug with a snort. When there was a knock on the door, you both looked up. 

“I’m in a meeting!” Hopper said sternly. He took a bite of his donut. “And it’s delicious.” 

“Hey chief, I want to talk to you about something.” 

Hopper’s face immediately flattened. “I have to get to work.” He opened the door to the office and you followed him out. 

“I’ve been thinking about Barbra Holland.” 

Hopper closed his eyes as he walked. “I don’t have _time_ for this, Dusty.” 

You held up a hand as you entered his office. “Just listen. The only bears in Indiana are black bears and most of the attacks are defensive.” 

Hopper closed his eyes as he sat behind his desk. “Let it _go_ Dusty.” 

“God, why doesn’t anyone care?” 

Hopper rested his forehead in his palm. “I care more than you know.” He motioned to the door. “Just worry about what we pay you to do.” 

“I’m a volunteer. You don’t pay me anything.” 

Hopper leaned back. “Okay.” He dismissed you with a hand. “Get out of my sight, slave.” 

You went back to your desk with a laugh and your suspicions. 

~*~

“Mr. Clarke, we have a very unconventional science question and we need your help,” Dustin stated as the boys stepped into Mr. Clarke’s classroom. 

Throwing the shoulder strap of his satchel over his shoulder, the trio’s guru glanced at the clock. “Boys, it’s after school hours. Can we pick this up tomorrow?” 

“Absolutely not,” Mike asserted. 

He didn’t have it in him to turn down his AV club and the only kids who actually enjoyed his class. If anything, Mr. Clarke saw himself in them. They were always on the quest for knowledge, and he would never get in the way. With a sigh, he put his bag on the floor and clapped his hands together. 

“What can I do for you?” 

Dustin put his hands on the teacher’s desk and leaned forward. “You know Dusty?” 

Mr. Clarke furrowed his brow as he thought. “Is that the Bowie girl from the high school?” 

Mike nodded. “Yeah, the one with the hair like a glowing carrot.” 

Mr. Clarke chuckled. “Yes, I know Dusty. She was in my class. Smart kid. Why?” 

Will butted in, “Well, she’s been best friends with Steve Harrington forever and we want to know why because that guy is-” 

“A giant dick,” Lucas finished. 

Mr. Clarke leaned back. With a playful smirk, he asked, “Why? Do you have a crush on her?” 

There were a chorus of “Ews!” 

“She’s like our sister, man,” Lucas winced in disgust. “What is wrong with you?” 

Mr. Clarke held up his hands in apology. “Hey, I’m an academic. It’s my job to ask questions.” 

Mike scrunched his nose. “Yeah, but not gross ones.” 

Mr. Clarke took out a piece of paper and a pencil. “The funny thing is that I can actually answer that with science.” 

Dustin smacked Lucas in the chest. “ _See?_ I told you!” 

“Now, a relationship always consists of two independent people.” Mr. Clark wrote “Dusty” and “Steve,” at the top of the paper. Then he drew a line between the names. “Each person has their own personality, likes, and interests. For example, Dusty’s favorite musician is,” he wrote “David Bowie” in massive letters, making the boys laugh. “And from what I remember, Steve is a Zeppelin guy.” He wrote “Zeppelin” under Steve. “Okay,” he flipped the paper around, “what do you see?” 

Mike raised an eyebrow. “That they don’t like the same music? How does that make them friends? That’s like, the exact opposite.” 

Mr. Clarke held up a finger. “ _Exactly._ Now, Dusty will be introduced to Zeppelin and Steve will be introduced to Bowie.” Mr. Clarke leaned forward. “When you spend time around someone who is different than you, you will have new experiences and the relationship will be full of surprises. However, this only works to a certain degree. If your core values differ or your goals in life aren’t the same,” he spread his fingers out, “your relationship will to explode into a million pieces.” 

Will touched the sides of his temple. “That just messed with my head.” 

Mr. Clarke wiggled his pencil. “Psychology is supposed to mess with your head.” He looked at the clock. “Now that’s all of the questions I can answer today. I’ll see you boys tomorrow.” 

“Bye, Mr. Clarke!” the boys chimed as their teacher left the classroom. 

Will sighed. “It makes sense.” He turned to his friends. “Steve seems a lot cooler than he was before.” 

After some thought, Mike nodded. “Yeah, he doesn’t harass me when he visits Nancy.” 

“Maybe,” Dustin started slowly, “Dusty’s opposite personality made him cool.” 

All of the boys raised their eyebrows at Dustin’s revelation. 

“Is Mr. Clarke ever wrong?” Lucas asked. 

Mike smiled as they left the classroom. “No.” 

~*~

The October night was colder than you anticipated, so your teeth were chattering as you were climbing the terrace of the Harrington’s house. You moved slowly and carefully, making sure you always had a solid foothold in the dark. Your breath danced above your head as you rapped your knuckles on Steve’s window. 

“Hey, asshole. I know you’re there. Your light is on. It’s freezing outside, so let me in.” 

You heard several footsteps before you saw Steve’s fingers curl under the window. 

“What are you doing?” he hissed as you clamored into his room. “It’s a school night and you’re a girl.” He pointed at the door. “My parents are going to kick my ass if they see you!” 

You snorted and flung yourself on his bed. “You never have a problem sneaking into my or Nancy’s room.” You leaned back on your elbows. “It’s a bit of a double standard, don’t you think?” 

Steve ran an anxious hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, my ass isn’t on the line when I sneak in your room.” 

“Okay, definitely a double standard.” 

Steve let out a short laugh and put a hand on his hip. “Okay, okay. What do you want?” 

You shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep. So, I was in my room doing nothing and I figured, why not do nothing with you?” 

Steve put a hand to his chest. “Oh, so you’re saying I’m irresistible?” 

You snorted. “Hardly.” You watched as Steve sat down next to you. “Hey, how come you’re not really mean anymore?” 

Steve leaned back in offense. “When was I ever mean to you?” 

“Not _me_. You’ve literally been Prince Satan to everyone since high school.” 

_Because I bonded with the kids when we fought a monster from another dimension._

“I just matured, I guess.” He rolled over onto his side, now face you. He shrugged. “It happens, y’know?” 

You sat up. “Hey,” you said, your voice suddenly gentle, “how are you?” 

Steve threw his arm over his eyes. “I was actually doing well until you brought it up.” 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” If anyone from school saw King Steve do what he did next, their eyes would melt out of their sockets. Even Nancy would have been shocked to see him interact this way with someone he wasn’t dating. 

Steve lay his head in your lap and sighed. “She said it was all bullshit, Dusty. How can a relationship be bullshit?” His eyes began to glaze against his will. He held up a hand. “I mean, if you’re that miserable, _you’re_ the bullshitter if you stay around and play with someone’s feelings.” 

You brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I know.” 

“What did I do wrong?” he asked, his voice cracking slightly. “I’m 18. I shouldn’t have to feel such complicated emotions.” 

You continued to twirl his hair around your fingers. “They’re not complicated. They’re just regular emotions that seem complicated to you because you’ve been a right prick for most of your life.” At this, Steve laughed and your heart warmed. You looked at Steve’s clock. “Shit! It’s already 1! I gotta’ go.” You jumped up to open the window, but Steve grabbed your wrist. “Don’t be an idiot. Your parents are gone, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Yeah, you’re not walking home at 1 in the morning.” Steve got up and went to his closet. His eyes dry, he got an extra pillow and blanket and flung them on the floor. “I have pajamas in that drawer. You take the bed.” 

You paused as your eyes swept over the situation. “Okay.” 

Steve raised an eyebrow. “You’re not even going to make a hollow offer to take the floor?” 

“Nope.” 

Steve laughed and tossed you some clothes. When you were both settled, Steve reached up and turned off the light. 

“Fuck you,” he said with a yawn. 

You pulled the covers up to your nose. “Fuck you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
> 
> [](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)  
>   
>   
> 
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving, all! I may or may not have spilled a margarita on myself when I was proof reading, "Let it _go_ , Dusty!" 


	3. Nachos

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


You were the edgy girl at school, which was a shock because people who cried when they got an Atari for Christmas weren’t exactly very high in the high school social hierarchy. Perhaps it was because you always physically grabbed attention with bright colors and sometimes ridiculous clothes. One day you wore the stage outfit from Bowie’s performance of ‘Rebel, Rebel” in 1976. With a crop top tied in a knot in the front covered in high wasted red pants and suspenders, the boys’ eyes were glued to you. You favorite touch was the blue polka dot scarf around your neck. 

You were sent home the second you walked into class. 

People were bound to see your personality if they were paying attention. You were kind and eccentric, which was interesting, and the fact that you were always glued to King Steve shot you into the stratosphere. 

So it made sense that the edgy rock girl got the attention of the new student. Billie oozed hard rock and sex. He had lived in Hawkins for what seemed like seconds and he already had the girls wrapped around his roaming, sinful finger - except for one. 

Billie was a hot head and violent. His hubris needed its own desk and he was obscenely lewd. Yet somehow, you were the only one who saw it. Perhaps it was because you didn’t fall under his spell or he truly found you attractive, most likely both, but he was determined to win you over. 

You grabbed your English book out of your locker. School had just let out and you were planning to work on your homework with Steve. It wasn’t his strongest subject, and you had high grades in the class. So you helped him as much as you could. Slamming your locker shut, Billie was revealed, casually leaning against the lockers with a toothpick between his teeth and trouble in his eyes. 

He spit out the toothpick and looked you up and down. He tilted his chin up. “Lady Stardust.” He licked his lips. “I never thought I’d see her in person.” 

“Femme fetale emerging from the shadows,’” you said with a teasing half smile. You wiggled your fingers. “Bye, Billie.” You turned on your heel and silently gagged. You were _literally_ flirting with danger, but you would rather him be a slimy ladies’ man than your enemy. Of course he could always turn against you if you continued to avoid his advances. Lucky for you, a tall pair of legs and a mane of brown hair came to your rescue. 

You jumped onto Steve’s back, something you had done since you were five. Without even looking he hooked his arms under your knees. “Where have you been, you fuckwit?” you whispered harshly into his ear. “Billie’s been harassing me.” 

“He harasses everybody,” Steve said, doing a little hop to get you higher. “Don’t put yourself on such a high pedestal.” As Steve walked across the parking lot, you felt the stares. “People don’t get it,” he suddenly said. 

“Get what?” 

Steve rolled his head in a circle. “This…thing.” 

“It sounds like you don’t know what this is.” You laughed at his inability to communicate. 

Steve blew you off. “Friends. Whatever.” 

“King Steve doesn’t have friends,” you mocked in a deep baritone, “he has minions.” 

Steve let out a short chuckle and shook his head. “If I had minions they would have kicked your ass,” he clapped back. 

The ride to your house was short and sweet. It included bad singing and a sick air guitar solo that forced you to grab the wheel from the passenger’s seat. But you made it in one piece and were sitting on your bedroom floor, surrounded by books and papers. 

“ So your parents just go to Cancun for a week and trust you to watch the house?” Steve asked, looking irritated. 

You looked over a rough draft of Steve’s most recent essay. “When you behave, you earn trust.” You tapped your pencil on the paper. “Your writing has improved so much, truly.” 

Steve had one leg pulled to his chest, resting his wrist on his knee. He reclined against your dresser. “Next Mark Twain over here.” 

You glared at him. “I wouldn’t go that far.” 

Steve held up his hands. “You’re the one who said it.” 

The room was quiet as you both worked, often punctured by snarky remarks and goading. 

“Steve?” 

“Dusty?” 

You bit your lip. You weren’t sure how to bring this up, or if you _should_ bring it up. Barb was Nancy’s best friend, making Steve connected to her by association. He was one of the last people who had seen her before she disappeared, and he was the only person you could turn to about Barb’s case. 

“I was wondering if we could talk about Barb.” 

Steve immediately stiffened. They playful tone in his voice had melted away. He raised his eyebrows. “There’s nothing to talk about. She got noshed on by a bear.” He shrugged, avoiding your gaze. “No use talking about it.” 

You refused to give up. “That’s just it. We only have black bears in Indiana. It’s very rare that they attack on the offensive. Chief has no interest in what I have to tell him. He’s too fascinated with rotting pumpkins.” You began to sound desperate. “And he’s _exhausted_ from it! He almost bit my head off the other day-” 

“ _Dusty,_ ” Steve snapped. “Just leave it alone, okay? I already had Nancy up my ass with this Barb shit and you jumping on the wagon is the last thing I need. Her parents already got some Murray Bauman on it.” He got to his feet and picked up his backpack. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“What is happening?” you asked to your empty room. 

~*~

“I’m sorry, ma’am. Chief Hopper is out in the field. I can’t tell you when he’s going to be back.” 

“Well, can you give me an estimate?” The woman with the cat eye glasses and obscene amount of lipstick asked. She had told you earlier that her name was Martha. 

You shook your head. “No, I cannot tell you when he solves a crime. It tends to be subjective.” 

“I don’t appreciate your sarcasm, young lady,” Martha glared. 

“And I’m concerned about your attachment to Hummels.” 

Martha leaned forward. She was so close that your noses almost touched. With narrowed eyes she spat, “I’ll have you know that my Hummel Apple Tree Boy is worth $3,950.” 

You tilted your head. “Now I’m even more concerned.” 

Martha stepped back in a huff. “I’m going to personally call the chief today and tell him how unprofessional his clerk is.” 

You raised your eyebrows. “Oh, he knows.” 

Playing with Martha was fun, but you were genuinely worried about Hopper. He had been chasing the pumpkin lead into the ground. He even rounded up a team of officers to coordinate their search party. Now, it was your job to play sentry between a meeting with a man you didn’t recognize and anyone who asked for him. 

You anxiously tapped your pen on your desk, your imagination running wild. Hopper tended to let you in on almost everything over the past year, but he had suddenly become evasive. You had an inkling that these pumpkins he was investigating weren’t just pumpkins. 

Suddenly, you heard raised voices and you were immediately concerned. Whoever was in his office had to be a real sleazebag if Jim Hopper raised his voice. You watched the visitor leave like a hawk. As soon as he walked out the front door, you strode to his office. 

“Chief, what is going on?” You leaned against the door, shutting it with a good bang. 

Hopper was looking out his window. He turned to you with a hand on his forehead. “Dusty,” he held up a hand, “I seriously _do not_ have the time for this right now.” 

“No.” You sat in the chair in front of his desk and crossed your arms stubbornly. “I won’t leave until you tell me what’s making you go all Columbo.” When Hopper turned you shrank in your seat. You never realized just how tall he was until now. 

“Listen,” he said through gritted teeth, jabbing a finger at you, “get your ass _out_ of my office before I _drag_ you out!” 

You, the fearless girl who pushed a kid in front of a car for making fun of Will Byers ran out of the room with tears in your eyes. 

Hopper sat heavily in his chair. He buried his face in his hands. “Shit,” he swore. 

~*~

Steve had gone on a rabid manhunt, looking for the three little shitheads that had started it all. He needed to find them and tell them you were hot their trail, and he needed to do it _now._ He had already awkwardly barged into the Wheeler’s house under the guise of a lost watch. When the boys weren’t there, he drove 90 miles an hour to the arcade. Once he pushed through the nerds and pimply pre-teens, the trio was still missing. After grabbing a bowl of nachos, he took off to the middle school. 

“Little dick wads,” he muttered, pressing down on the gas pedal and dropping a cheesy corn chip into his mouth. 

It wasn’t that Steve didn’t trust you. If anything, he trusted you more than anyone, but he couldn’t have your dumbass thrown into the middle of this shit show. You were too reckless and too brave for your own good. The thought made him smile. 

“Dumbass carrot top.” Double checking the road to make sure it was clear, Steve leaned over and scooped up another nacho, this time grabbing the beef and jalapenos. When he looked up, a pair of red tail lights blinded him. “Shit!” He wrenched the steering wheel to the left and swerved around the station wagon. He quickly gathered himself and veered back in front of the car. Steve looked into his rearview mirror and chuckled. “Sweet.” He triumphantly popped another nacho in his mouth. 

It only took him another minute to reach the middle school. He ran across the parking lot and pushed through the front doors. He came to halt. “Okay, if I was a nerd,” he said, slowly walking down the hallway, “where would I be?” Paper bowl of nachos firm in hand, he began to navigate the school. 

He only knew where the stereotypical cool kid rooms were. Where Mike, Dustin, and Lucas were hiding was absolutely beyond him. Steve turned into the nearest classroom. An older man with peppered hair looked up, clearly the teacher. 

“Uh, hey,” Steve said lamely. “Do you have any idea where I can find some dorks?” 

The man slid his glasses onto his head. “Well, that’s a rather odd question, isn’t it?” 

Steve shrugged. “Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.” 

The man sighed. “If you want to fall into stereotypes, I would say the AV club.” 

“Ah,” Steve said, “great.” He nodded his head in awkward silence. “So…what the hell is that?” 

“Audio and visual department. Next hallway over.” 

“Thanks.” Steve held out his bowl and smiled. “Nacho?” 

The man grimaced. “No, thank you.” 

Steve shrugged. “Later.” 

It only took him a few seconds to find the AV room. Pressing his ear against the door, the sound of twerp voices greeted his ears. He banged on the door. 

“Hey, assholes! It’s Steve, open the door!” The voices immediately stopped. Steve banged on the door again. “I know you’re in there! I’m not going to leave until you open this door! You’re gonna have to deal with me no matter what!” There were hurried whispers and Steve rolled his eyes. 

“State your purpose, Steve Harrington,” Dustin ordered. 

Steve smacked the door with his fist. “I don’t have time for this, you little shits! Open the goddamn door!” 

“State your purpose!” Dustin asserted, his voice raised. 

Steve punched the door in fury. “Dusty is on to us and I’m afraid she’ll get hurt, you little dickheads! Now open this door!” Finally, the door creaked open and Steve shoved passed Dustin. Steve’s eyes shot across every boy’s face. “Why do you all look like you’ve seen a ghost?” 

Dustin jumped in front of the table. “No reason!” 

Steve closed his eyes and shook his head. He held up his hand. “You know what? I don’t care. Dusty is determined to figure out what actually happened to Barb.” 

Will tilted his head in confusion. “But why would she be suspicious? That was a long time ago and Nancy told everyone it was a bear.” 

“Hopper even backed it up,” Dustin butted in. 

Lucas shook his head. “Yeah, dude. Calm down.” 

After eating another nacho, Steve jabbed a finger in the boys’ faces. “Dusty is a smart girl and she works in the police station. She knows shit. She was talking about how we only have black bears and how they’re not total dicks or something.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Basically, we need to decide whether or not we should tell her, or shit out the most amazing lie known to man.” 

Mike turned to Will. “I think you should decide.” 

Will’s innocent brown eyes widened. “Me?” 

Mike nodded. “Well, yeah. We’re helping you, and you should have control of who knows the truth.” Mike reached out and put a hand on Will’s shoulder. “We’ll be cool with whatever you decide, right guys?” Mike looked at his friends. 

“Yeah,” Dustin nodded. 

“Definitely,” Lucas promised. 

The room was filled with heavy silence as Will thought. Finally, the boy spoke up. 

“No,” he said. “I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.” 

“So it’s decided,” Mike said, placing his hands on the table, “we won’t tell Dusty what’s going on.” 

Dustin spoke up. “We’ll have to talk to Hopper to figure out what to tell her.” Everyone turned to Steve. “Are we all in agreement?” 

Steve nodded, relieved that you were going to be sheltered from this Bedlam, but feeling immensely guilty for lying to you. “Agreed,” Steve finally said, dropping the last of his nachos in his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was having trouble writing this until I had two glasses of wine in me. This is such a blast to write. I hope you're enjoying it as much I am writing it.


	4. Diners and Dives

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


School had let out, and while many kids your age got to go home and stuff their faces with potato chips and watch TV, you were stuck behind the front desk of the Hawkins’ Police Station, having some more girl time with the lovely Martha. 

“Ma’am,” you said with your best fake smile, "as I have said before, I do not know when the chief is coming back. _I_ don’t even know where he is.” 

Martha pursed her lips, making her lipstick crack. Her earrings swayed as she shook her head; she was the type of woman who dressed up every day in case she found her prince charming. Obviously, it hadn’t worked. By the looks of it, she was going to die as a shriveled old prune. 

“Isn’t your _job_ to know where he is?” Martha spat. 

“No,” you answered dryly. It was true. As clerk, it was your job to file and keep records of the darker side of Hawkins. It was boring, but seeing people arrested was fun and Hopper was a great boss. You shared a dry sense of humor, and it made the work environment much easier. However, your relationship had taken a strange turn. 

Hopper had been avoiding you like the plague. To be honest, you were almost as frustrated as Martha. He would suddenly go on unexplained benders and come back rattled, either very irritant or anxious if you looked hard enough. He hadn’t been in when you arrived, and you doubted that you would see him for the rest of the day. 

You sighed. “How about this – I take your phone number, and have him call you when he comes in?” 

Martha’s face went red. “That is not good enough! That is not what I came here for.” 

You stood up and smacked your hands on your desk. “Well, _fuck_ you and _fuck_ your Hummels.” With the force of a thousand pissed off winds, you got up and strode out of the building with Barb’s file tucked safely in your backpack. You were about to get into your car when a horn blared, causing you to jump. 

Steve unbuckled his seatbelt and raised his leg, kicking the passenger seat’s door open. “Get in, asshole!” he called. 

You raised an eyebrow. “That’s no way to talk to a lady, Stephen.” 

Steve snorted. “Ladies are supposed to be pretty, so I think I’m okay.” 

As you stepped into the car, you narrowed your eyes. “You think you’re so glamorous now, but guys who are thin in high school usually get fat later in life. So enjoy it while you can.” 

“Ms. Dusty calling me glamorous,” Steve said as he looked over his shoulder to back out of the parking lot. “Are you sick?” 

“It was venomous sarcasm. Don’t worry, the world isn’t turning upside down.” You lurched forward when Steve jammed on the break. You rubbed your neck. “Ow! Steve, what the fuck?” You were taken aback as you looked at your friend. 

Steve was staring out the back window, a blank look on his face. You watched as he worked his bottom lip with his teeth. You shook him. 

“I didn’t realize the idea of flipped over trees would upset you so much.” 

Steve smiled and let out a breathy, humorless laugh. “Yeah, uh. Plants out of their natural state is my one true weakness.” 

You chuckled. “Okay, Harrington. I’ll keep that in mind.” Your words were playful, but you were genuinely concerned by your best friend’s actions. You decided to let it slide for now, but if it happened again, he wouldn’t get off so easy. “So where are we going?” 

Steve bit his tongue as he took a corner. “Ponder milkshakes and fries.” 

“What?” 

“We’re going to eat some cheap, high calorie, fatty dinner, bozo. Unless Benny’s Burgers isn’t good enough for you, of course.” 

“The food’s really changed since he died, don’t you think?” 

“Shit, I forgot that,” Steve mumbled under his breath. 

You leaned forward. “I’m sorry?” 

Steve shook his head. “Nothing. I’m just…bummed he died.” He pulled into the parking lot. “But I guess he’s with Jesus now or…whatever they say.” 

You laughed as you got out of the car. “You truly have a way with words.” You linked your arm with his and walked into the restaurant. You immediately went to the booth in the very back where you could get the most privacy. 

“I guess murder really does have an effect on the appetite,” you observed, looking at the nearly empty restaurant. You crossed your legs and rested your elbow on the table as Steve slid in the bench across from you. “Do you have any idea what happened? Everything is so hush hush. Even Hopper is mysteriously vague.” You rested your chin on your palm. 

Steve was about to tell a half ass lie, but was saved by a cheery waitress. 

“And how is everybody doing today?” 

“Good, thanks,” you both chimed. 

She lightly tapped the menu on the table. “Well, aren’t you two polite?” She gave you each a menu. “Can I get you anything to drink?” 

“Chocolate malt, please,” you said excitedly. “Can I just get fries?” 

“Strawberry milkshake with a lot of whip cream, and a cheeseburger with no onions. Thanks.” 

“Well, that was quick!” The waitress wrote down your orders. “Well, my name is Linda and you let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” 

Steve drummed a beat on the table. “So, how’s the working girl going?” 

You ran a hand through your hair. “She’s working. How’s heartbroken, angst-y boy?” 

Steve snorted. Running a tongue down the inside of his cheek, he said, “You know, I’m doing better.” 

You moved back as your milkshakes were placed in front of you, after a ‘thank you,’ you stuck a long straw into your glass and took a long gulp. 

You fluttered your lashes in satisfaction. “Fuck, that is _good._ ” You looked up to see that Steve’s milkshake was already gone. You stuck your hand out. “Steve, what the fuck? Did you even taste it?” 

“The fucking brain freeze and all.” 

You mindlessly chatted for the next few minutes, shooting the shit like every other high schooler. When your food finally came, you talked between bites. 

Steve inspected one of your fries, bringing it up to eye level. “Want to hear something weird?” 

You put a hand over your mouth to cover your chewing. “Always.” 

“Your dumbass has been the one constant relationship outside of my parents.” He popped the fry in his mouth. 

You took a sip of your milkshake and tilted your head. “I thought that was your right hand.” When you got a handful of fries thrown in your face, you chuckled. 

Steve paid for the meal and you took care of the tip. You heavily sat in the passenger seat and closed your eyes. “In all serious, that’s pretty cool.” 

Steve merely hummed in agreement. By the time you reached your house, it was dark. 

“God, it gets dark so early this time of year,” you said, taking off your seatbelt. “It’s kind of spooky, don’t you think?” 

Steve tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel. “Yeah, I guess.” 

You grabbed you backpack. “Thanks for dinner, even though you went for the cheapest option.” 

Steve watched you as you walked across your lawn. “You’re welcome. And fuck you!” he shouted. 

Without turning around, you wished him a friendly, “Fuck you, too!” 

Steve sighed and slid down in his seat. He had seen Barb’s file in your backpack, and he knew that you would go through hell to find answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this while wearing my Bowie t-shirt \m/


	5. Grandma's Dead

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


8AM European History was your favorite class. Most kids your age would still be half asleep; hell, even the morning birds were still singing. You weren’t particularly passionate about European history. It was certainly interesting, but you never felt any passion. History was your favorite class because Steve Harrington sat right behind you.

You didn’t know how you lasted this long. This was not the first time you shared a class, but it was the first time you remained together for almost all of the school year. One of you would usually have to be kicked out within the first week of class. You were the dynamic duo of mischief and the Bonnie and Clyde of nuisance – platonic, of course. You were both older now and had become sneakier in your dastardly ways. Perhaps this was your year of triumph. 

“Now, the Thirty Year’s War is considered one of the most bloodiest and destructive wars of all time,” Mr. Olsen explained, touching a stick of chalk to the blackboard. 

You felt warm breath tickle your ear. “Do you see the mustard stain on his shirt?” Steve pointed his pencil to Mr. Olsen. Sure enough, you saw a smudge of yellow on the teacher’s collar. 

“Did he have a hot dog for breakfast or something?” you whispered, your brow knitted in confusion. 

Steve ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “Maybe he was making his lunch.” 

You quietly snapped your fingers. “That’s it. That was really going to bother me.” 

“I am one fucking smart guy.” 

“You spelled your name wrong on your homework yesterday.” 

When Mr. Olsen looked away, Steve smacked you upside the head. “I was hungover and wearing my sunglasses. Your name is short as fuck. Imagine having to spell ‘Harrington’ while feeling like you’re being drilled in the head.” 

“You do look good in those sunglasses.” You heard a click of a tongue and you knew Steve was throwing you two finger guns. You were about to retaliate when the classroom phone rang. 

“Hold on for one second.” Mr. Olsen held up a finger and picked up the phone. “Uh-hu. Yeah, he’s here.” He nodded. “I’ll make sure he gets the message.” He hung up the phone. “You,” he pointed at Steve, “your father just called. Your grandmother just died and he’s here to take you home.” Only Mr. Olsen lacked the decorum to announce such a tragedy in front of an entire clasroom. 

You turned around and saw that Steve had pushed his glasses on top of his head. “What?” he asked in shock. 

“That’s all I know. I’m very sorry, Steve. Your dad’s waiting for you outside.” 

“I’ll come with you.” You immediately stood up, but Mr. Olsen snapped his fingers and pointed to your desk. 

“You’re not going anywhere. Sit down.” 

Grinding your teeth, you threw yourself back into your seat. “Call me the second you can,” you said as Steve walked past your desk. 

“Yeah, I’ll do that,” he said absent-mindedly, scratching the back of his head. He slipped out of the classroom in a fog. His grandmother was very old, so it wasn’t surprising that she had died. He just didn’t expect it to happen while he was staring at a mustard stain on Mr. Olsen’s shirt. 

Walking into the morning air, he opened his mouth to ask his dad what happened, only to clench his jaw. 

“Hey, _dad._ How’s grandma?” 

Hopper put his hands on his hips and looked away. “Look, I’m sorry about the grandma thing-” 

Steve took a step forward and narrowed his eyes. “You’re _sorry_ about the grandma thing?” Steve shook his head in disbelief. “Dude, you better have an amazing explanation because I still have a fucking bat.” 

Hopper sighed and held out a hand. “Okay, let’s not get all dramatic. It’s Will.” 

At this, Steve stiffened. “Is he okay?” 

Hopper shook his head. “No. He had a serious seizure last night and now he has a fever. I just learned about it this morning.” 

Steve scoffed. “You just found out? Where have you been? Mrs. Byers had to have called you a million times.” 

“It’s none of your business and she did,” Hopper snapped, making Steve raise his eyebrows. Hopper sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Listen, I was out doing something important and you’re just going to have to take my word for it.” 

“Do I have a choice?” 

“No.” 

Steve shrugged. “Lie about my grandma and abandon your friends. Cool.” 

By now, Hopper was getting irritated. “Look, I only did the grandma thing because I knew Dusty was in the class and she would want to know what I wanted with you. She probably would have barged out _with_ you.” He put his hands in his jacket pockets. “We all need to figure out what we’re going to tell her. I already have the boys back at the station and no, I didn’t tell them their grandma died.” 

Steve snorted. “Well, aren’t you officer of the fucking year.” He tilted his chin towards his car. “I’ll follow you.” 

Hopper decided to let Steve’s snide remark slide. “Okay, just don’t drive like a moron.” 

“Why do you think I’m taking a separate car?” Steve smirked, sliding his sunglasses over his eyes. 

~*~

“I don’t see why we can’t keep saying it’s a bear,” Dustin said, looking out the window in Hopper’s office. 

Mike rolled his eyes from his seat. “Because she already knows it’s bullshit!” 

“This whole thing’s bullshit,” Lucas added. 

Mike opened his palms. “Look at it this way – we’re not in school.” The two other boys nodded. 

“Man, where is Hopper?” Lucas asked, looking over his shoulder at the door. 

“Getting Steve.” With a sly grin, Dustin slid into Hopper’s seat. “Now you all have to do what I say.” He spun around. 

Lucas snorted. “Just because you’re in his chair doesn’t mean you’re actually the chief.” 

Dustin raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?” He took Hopper’s phone out of its cradle and began to punch in a number. 

Mike jumped up. “Dude, what are you doing!” he yelped in panic. “Put it down!” 

Dustin dismissed him with a wave. “Hello, is this Mrs. Sinclair?” he asked in a deep voice. 

Lucas’ eyes widened as he leapt up in horror. “No!” he shouted. 

“This is Chief Jim Hopper of the Hawkins Police. I’m calling to tell you that your son, Lucas is illegally ugly. We already have officers on their way to arrest him. Hopefully he’ll grow out of it and we can let him go.” Dustin furrowed his brow when he didn’t hear sounds of shock from his friends. He looked up, a wide smile on his face. 

The grin vanished as his eyes took in the towering figure of Jim Hopper. The Chief was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and his face dark. He was across the room in one stride. Dustin leapt out of the chair as Hopper ripped the phone from his hand. The boy sprung to the side. 

“Hi, Mrs. Sinclair. I’m sorry about that. Dustin thought it would be funny to play around with the phone…okay. Good. Have a nice day.” He hung up and sat in the chair. Lacing his fingers together, he closed his eyes. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked firmly. 

“It was all Dustin!” Mike immediately pointed to his curly-haired friend. 

“What?” Dustin whined. He gestured to the chair. “It lured me with its promise of power. You can’t blame me!” 

Hopper held his hand up. “You know what? I don’t care. It’s fine.” Dustin let out a releaved sigh. 

“Okay, have we figured it out yet?” Everyone in the room turned as Steve Harrington stepped into the room. 

Hopper looked up. “No,” he said, “we hadn’t even brought the subject up.” 

With a pout, Steve nodded. “Cool.” Grabbing a chair from the outside office, he dragged it into the office and threw himself into it, casually crossing his legs and resting them on Hopper’s desk. “What’s up?” 

Hopper leaned forward and swatted his feet off of his desk. “Take those damn things off.” He pointed to Steve’s glasses. “Only assholes wear sunglasses inside.” 

“And cool people,” Steve chided, sliding the glasses to the top of his head. 

Hopper looked Steve up and down. “Yeah, well, that’s up for debate. Now, we have to figure out what we’re going to tell Dusty and it needs to be consistent, detailed, and address everything. We will not leave this office until we come up something that will completely get her off our asses. Will’s getting worse and we really can’t deal with this.” 

“Couldn’t the black bear go rabid or something?” Steve asked, putting his feet back on Hopper’s desk. 

“We have no way to prove it,” Hopper answered, shoving Steve’s feet off. “The bear thing is out the window.” 

Dustin raised his hand. “Crazy serial killer.” 

Hopper shook his head. “There haven’t been any other reported killings. You need to have killed at least three people to be a serial killer. God, do you kids watch TV?” 

“My mom says it makes people stupid,” Lucas said. 

“Well, most people don’t need TV to do that.” Hopper rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. 

Steve leaned forward. “Something stupid…” he said quietly. “What if she ran away? Nancy could doctor a note and no one else would know about it because she doesn’t want to be found.” 

The room was silent for several seconds before Dustin spoke up. 

“Holy shit.” 

For the third time Steve dropped his feet triumphantly on the desk. “You’re welcome.” 

Hopper nodded slowly. “You think Nancy will be okay with this?” 

Steve grimaced. “Shit, no. She _wants_ someone looking for Barb.” He looked around the room. “Anyone good at girlie handwriting?” 

Hopper raised an amused eyebrow. “I heard your penmanship is astounding.” 

Steve looked up at the ceiling and groaned.


	6. Strange Fascination

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Despite all of the Barb bullshit and Hopper forcing him to write a goodbye note in _girlie_ handwriting, Steve had left the station in a pretty good mood. He had the rest of the day off and he was going to rub it in your Bowie bitch face. All in good fun, of course. You’d probably hit him. 

He was stupid enough to get into Hopper’s SUV after the jerk said he’d fill his car up with gas and drop it off. But come on, what kid wouldn’t pass up free gas? Steve should have known he would be made into an utter asshole, but he only caught on when they pulled into the school parking lot. 

What the fuck ever. He missed almost half the day and one of the classes was gym, which wasn't even a class. Easy as shit. 

Christ, was he wrong. 

As Steve got his ass handed to him during a basketball drill, you winced. You were peeking through the window of the gym’s front door. You clenched your fists as you watched Billie intimidate and commit every single foul known to man. 

You knocked on the door when Billie purposely tripped Steve. “Personal foul, asshole!” you yelled. “Illegal contact with a player!” 

Billie immediately froze. He turned to you and grinned. Casually dribbling the ball and standing still, he smirked. “Got your girl picking your fights, Harrington?” 

Steve was hunched over with his hands on his thighs. He stared at you with irritation. 

You shook your head. “No. Friend who is grossed out by someone who can’t even play basketball.” At this, Steve grinned and sent you a wink. You couldn’t reciprocate with Billie watching, but Steve knew you digged it. Knowing him for so long seemed to have given you some sort of twin sense, and you always used it when you were in a jam. 

Billie tilted his chin and licked his lips. “Why don’t you show me?” 

You snorted. “You’re just going to cheat.” 

“Only so I can ‘accidently’ pull a personal foul on you.” Before you could retort, Steve punched Billie in the face. There was a chorus of gasps and your hands flew over your mouth. There was a small spray of blood. You didn’t know if it was Steve’s or Billie’s, but you didn’t have time to find out. 

Steve burst through the door and grasped your wrist. “Time to fuck off,” he said hurriedly. You didn’t have time to question him, so you just ran. 

Stumbling into the parking lot, Steve groaned in relief. His car was parked just a few yards in front of you. Hopefully, it was fully gassed and ready to go. With no time to lose, he yanked you to the car and tossed you into the passenger seat. In a blink of an eye, you were on the road. 

Placing a hand on your heaving chest, you asked, “What was that about?” 

Steve took his eyes briefly off the road so that he could look at you as if you were the biggest moron in the world. “Uh, the guy was literally talking about assaulting you, asshole! And in front of _me._ ” He threw a hand up in disbelief and let it fall back onto the steering wheel. 

You wore a small smile as you looked out the window. “Especially you?” 

“I mean, like-” Steve stuttered, irritated that he couldn’t immediately find an answer to your question, “I’ve known you since I ate dirt. So when someone talks about groping you…” He shrugged. “That isn’t cool. So they get punched in the face.” He leaned over and gave you a cheshire grin. “Call it Steve’s Golden Rule.” 

You looked up at him through the corner of the eye in a very rare, shy way. “Best social rule of conduct of I’ve heard of.” 

“Damn straight,” Steve declared with a southern twang before he pressed down on the gas pedal. You were home in a matter of minutes. 

“Why don’t you throw a party while your parent are away?” Steve asked as you shoved your keys into the front door’s lock. 

You pushed the door open. “Because people suck,” you answered simply. The entire school would be shocked to learn that you had social anxiety. It was part of the reason why you were so bold; less people approached you, and those that did were always good. 

You unceremoniously tossed your keys onto your dresser and fell onto your bed. “Oh, shit,” you swore to the ceiling. 

“What?” Steve asked as he bounced down next you, joining you in your ceiling gazing. 

“We forgot all of our stuff at school.” 

Steve shrugged. “We can get it tomorrow. No big deal.” 

You turned your head. “You want to be one of the Fighting Irish. It is a big deal.” 

Steve sighed. “Yeah, but I also have bloody knuckles and school is out now anyways.” 

Sitting up, you took his hand. You began to inspect it, gingerly turning it and pulling it closer to your eyes. Steve’s knuckles had split from the ferocity of the punch and they were already starting to bruise. They had landed right on Billie’s hard jaw, which was incredibly satisfying, but hard against Steve’s knuckles. 

“You really, _really_ didn’t need to do that. I can stick up for myself,” you said, putting his hand down. You went to your bathroom to grab some gauze and neosporin. 

Steve shrugged with a closed lipped smile. “I know. He was just being a little bitch and it was irritating," he replied as you gently cleaned and wrapped his wounds. 

Nodding, you fell back onto your bed. “Truer words have never been spoken.” The room was quiet for a moment before Steve pointed to the David Bowie poster tacked over your bed. 

“Do you _ever_ listen to anyone else? Goddamn Dusty. Expand your taste. It’s not all feather boas and eye patches.” 

Steve shrank under your glare. “I have the most diverse taste in music in this redneck town, Harrington.” You held out a finger and tapped it. “There is Ziggy Stardust, his first personality who is a glam rock god and based off of the artist Stardust Cowboy.” You tapped a second finger. “Then there’s the Thin White Duke of 1978. As well as being insanely hot, he appeared during his album ‘Station to Station’. He was inspired by Thomas Jerome Newton, a character he played in the film _The Men Who Fell to Earth._ ” You giggled. “Bowie said he didn’t remember making the album because he was so high on cocaine that period. Than he-” 

“Okay! Okay!” Steve threw his hand over your mouth. “I get it! Just stop shut up!” 

You slipped onto the floor and folded your legs. “Why don’t you care about Barb?” 

Steve raised a skeptical eyebrow as he began to wander around your room, inspecting your various knickknacks and decorations. He picked up a bouncy ball and began to throw it in the air, only to snatch it as fast as he could. “I mean, I care, it’s just…” he shrugged. “She was Nancy’s friend. You know the feeling you get when you see a missing person ad? You’re bummed out and you probably memorize what the kid looks like. Other than that, you move on and never think about it again.” 

“Except she was at your house the day she disappeared, went to school with us, and her missing posters and spots on the news have been up for a year,” you growled. 

Steve immediately knew he was in the dog house when you looked like a lion about to maul its prey, so he dropped the ball and retreated. He put one hand on his hip and opened his palm. “Look, I know it sucks, especially because she was Nancy’s friend.” He wagged a finger. “But don’t tell me that part of the reason you’re so gun-ho about this is the mystery.” 

You looked away, hoping to hide the guilt that marred your face, but you knew Steve saw it. 

“Fucking A, Dusty.” Steve began to gesture wildly. “You’re over here preaching while you’re just playing detective! At least partially.” 

“She needs justice, Steve,” you said sadly. You looked out the window. It was already getting dark. “Someone out there knows.” 

_Or someone in here,_ Steve thought, racked with guilt. He reached out and ruffled your orange hair. You held onto his wrist and leaned against his leg. 

“Strange things aren’t supposed to happen in small towns. We’re supposed to be boring by law.” 

Steve snorted. “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will give you $1 if you can guess what artist wrote the lyric used for the title and who I listened to while writing this.


	7. Exposed

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


It was the day after Steve got his ass handed to him in the gym. It was also November 3rd, the day you got your first big break on Barb’s disappearance. You had all of the time in the world to finally dig through the back files because Hopper was gone. Again. And he was gone all day. You were concerned, but too damn excited to be afraid. Stepping into his office, you sat in his chair and read. 

The note said that Barb was skipping town to start a new life. Hawkins was too small and too boring. While you understood the last part, Barb didn’t seem like the type of person who would want to just pick up her things or go, or have the balls to do so. It would seem that Hopper and the rest of the police force felt the same if they kept the note quiet. There was no hard proof that it was a fake, but your curiosity had not been dampened. Quickly looking over your shoulder to make sure no one was watching, you snuck out the back door. There was one person that you needed to look this over before you could proceed. 

You turned the heat on when you got into your car and ‘Is There Life On Mars?’ immediately began to play. 

“One mystery at a time, David,” you said to yourself, backing out of the parking space. 

~*~

“Oh, hi sweetie! I wasn’t expecting you! Steve didn’t say anything,” Mrs. Harrington said, pulling you into a warm hug. Her soft brown hair tickled your face. 

You hugged her back. “He actually doesn’t know I’m here. Is he home?” 

Mrs. Harrington crossed her arms and sighed. “I think he went to grovel for Nancy.” 

You looked at the sky and groaned. “I know he’s your son, but he’s very stupid.” 

“I have to agree with you there.” She shrugged. “He has to learn on his own that it’s a lost cause.” A playful smile fell on her lips. She placed a hand on her chest and leaned in as if she was going to tell you a secret. “I’ve certainly told him to leave it be, but you know how teenage boys are. Well, at least Stephen.” 

“Okay. I’m going to see if I can find him. It was nice seeing you!” You waved. 

“Maybe you can knock some sense into him!” Mrs. Harrington called as you got into your car. “If anyone can, it’s you!” 

Surprisingly, Mrs. Harrington was wrong about that. Steve was not pulled down into reality by you, but by 14 year old Dustin Henderson. By the time you arrived, a bouquet of discarded roses lay on the ground. 

“Well, hell yeah, Dustin,” you said with a smirk. 

“What are you doing here?” Steve asked irritably. 

“Hey, Dusty!” Dustin waved excitedly. 

You brought Dustin in for a hug. “What’s up, dude? 

Dustin looked up at you in a way a child never should. His eyes somehow looked like they belonged to a veteran of Vietnam. He had seen death and unexplainable horrors that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Then, young boy blinked, and it was gone. 

“Nothing,” he smiled fakely, “just hanging out.” 

With narrowed eyes and all of the suspicion in the world you turned to Steve. In an instant you knew that they were lying. 

Steve was looking at his shoes, avoiding all eye contact and clenching and unclenching his fists. You knew his tells, and they were blatantly obvious. 

“You’re caught,” you asserted. “Now tell me or I will tell someone we don’t like.” 

Dustin looked at Steve and shrugged. “We might as well tell her. She is in our party.” 

Although Steve didn’t take his eyes off of the ground, he held up a finger. His eyebrows were raised in annoyance. “First off, I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” He held out another finger. “Second, she will try to be the hero and get her dumbass killed. Trust me. She’s not coming.” 

You marched over to Steve and pushed him in the chest, causing him to stumble. “Steve, what the fuck?” 

Steve threw up his hands. “You know what? Fine. But there are going to be rules, missy.” 

“Missy?” you asked with your arms crossed and an amused smirk. 

Steve put a hand in his jean jacket. “Yeah, _missy._ Now listen up, because I’m not saying this again.” 

He swung his finger across his face. He continued to slowly walk towards you as Dustin watched with a big grin on his face. 

“First, believe everything I tell you.” 

You scrunched your nose. “Um, okay? Unless it’s something stupid. If you expect me to just sit there-” 

“Ah!” Steve interrupted, shaking his head. “What did I just say?” 

You curled your lip both in confusion and annoyance. What the fuck could he be so serious about? And stupid, for that matter. “I have to believe everything you tell me,” you repeated robotically. 

“Second, don’t ask _any_ questions. Just shut the fuck up.” When you opened your mouth, Steve held his finger higher and raised his eyebrows. When you retreated he continued. “Finally, listen to us, including me.” He was right in front of you now. “If we tell you to run, run. If we tell you to hide, then hide. I know you’re brave, but you’re also a complete asshole and a showoff. It’s normally pretty rad, but it will get you killed.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours. “You got it, dickhead?” You could hear Dustin snicker in the background. 

With a long and loud annoyed sigh, you said, “Yes.” You were going to pull away, but then Steve did something very, very fucking weird. He wrapped his arms around you and gave you the tightest hug known to man. Granted, he was muttering typical Steve insults and obscenities under his breath the entire time, but the gesture was beyond sentimental. 

“You are such a pain in the ass,” he criticized, looking annoyed. You didn’t reply. Instead, you closed your eyes and enjoyed the break from the cool autumn air. 

“Hey, Steve?” Dustin called. “Can you stop being in love for thirty seconds and get the bat?” The boy had a fiendish look on his sweet face. 

You both shot him scathing looks. 

“Fuck, Dustin!” 

“Ew!” 

Steve looked down at you, holding onto you tight. “The fuck you mean, ‘ew’?” 

You looked up at Steve’s brown eyes and grimaced. “I love you to death, man. But like one would like a brother.” 

Steve nodded, somewhat relieved. “Well, it’s good that you’re not disgusted at the thought because I’m gross or whatever.” He stepped back. “Okay. Now that you’re in this, you might as well come with me.” As you made your way to his car Steve jabbed a finger in Dustin’s face. “And you keep your little shit mouth shut.” 

Dustin’s grin only widened. With a troublemaking glint in his eye, he purred. 

Knowing it was a lost cause, Steve just shook his head. “Just zip it, okay? This is a very delicate ecosystem,” he whispered. Rather than answer, Dustin purred again. Steve smiled and shook his head. “Shit head.” He took off Dustin’s hat and ruffled his hair before he jogged after you. 

“So when does the ‘do not ask questions’ part take effect?” you asked as Steve slid into the car. 

Steve put on his seatbelt. “When we don’t have time to answer you and when we’re explaining what's going on.” He put his hands on the steering wheel and looked at you. “Like I said, believe everything we say. So no questions.” 

“Okay.” You were on the main road. “Can I ask what are we doing now?” 

“Well, you can, but I don’t know either. Right now, we’re just grabbing something and meeting Dustin outside his house.” 

“Why would you need Dustin’s help for this?” 

Steve gave you a crooked smile. “No questions, Dusty.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The kids are truly a joy to write


	8. Chocolate Pudding

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Steve Harrington was 6 when he decided that he loved you. You had your natural hair color back then and a healthy love for Elmo. No Elmo posters, Elmo inspired makeup, and certainly no Elmo inspired clothes. When Steve thought it would be funny to poke fun at the little red monster, you threw a chocolate pudding snack pack in his face. However, when you saw your friend’s eyes start to well, you grabbed a scoop of pudding and smeared it all over your forehead and cheeks. 

“See?” 

Ever since, Steve was stupidly in love with you. He didn’t understand it at first. He just knew that you were his best friend and that you were more special than any other kid he hung out with. As he got older and learned the ways of the world, it became clear to him that he saw you as much more than a friend. There was no way he could ever tell you. Losing his pudding buddy over a crush wasn’t worth it. He would just soldier through it and get over the whole thing. 

But he didn’t. 

High school came and his feelings were as strong as ever. You had both grown closer over the years and had really come into your own. By the time you were 16, it was clear that you had an effect on each other’s personalities and habits. Unfortunately for Steve he _still_ loved your dumb ass, so he did the only thing he could thing of – change. 

King Steve was everything you hated. He was pompous, rude, and cruel. Even the new people he hung out with were scumbags; he attracted trouble like a magnet. But somehow you still called out his bullshit and scared the minions away whenever you so pleased. So Steve was left with one option. 

He liked Nancy. She was truly a sweet girl, but she wasn’t you. He didn’t have to filter himself around you and you had many more things in common. He had to make an effort to get along with Nancy. With you, he just needed to remind himself to breathe. Nancy had said they had been pretending to be in love, and she had no idea just how right she was. The breakup hurt his pride, which was insanely strong. Otherwise, he was relieved. 

“I knew you’d find him,” Mrs. Harrington said as Steve burst into his house. “Why is he in such a hurry?” You watched as he took the stairs two at a time. 

“I am not the person to ask. I’ll see.” Before you could step all the way into the room, a hand was slapped over your mouth and you were yanked inside. 

“What in the seven levels of hell?” you swore, pushing Steve off you as he turned on the light. “Get that out of my face!” 

Steve lowered his bat to his side. “Sorry. I forgot that to normal people think this looks insane.” 

“’ _Normal_ ’ people?” 

Steve pointed his spiked bat to his bed. “Sit. I have a shit ton to tell you and you aren’t going to believe any of it.” 

You sat down on his bed. “Well, I have to. It’s one of the rules, isn’t it?” 

Steve nodded. He grabbed his desk chair and spun it around. Sitting on it backwards, he pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. “Okay, so like…do you believe in aliens, supernatural creatures or whatever?” 

You brushed a lock of orange hair behind your ear. “Oh, do you mean like Starman?” 

Steve’s jaw set as he shook his chair. “This isn’t a fucking David Bowie song, Dusty! This is real scary, dangerous, will-kill-you-if-you-don’t-keep-up shit!” he snapped. 

You froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Steve had never raised his voice to you, especially in anger. Doe eyed, you nodded in understanding 

Steve closed his eyes. “Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. This is just really, really serious and it would be really cool if you didn’t die.” 

“Then just tell me,” you threw your hands up. “I’m not some delicate daisy!” You pulled at your hair in frustration. “How can I stay safe if I don’t know what to protect myself from?” 

Steve let his head fall to his chest and he held out his hand. “Okay…So you know about Hawkin’s lab?” 

As you talked, Mrs. Harrington sat in her living room, reading a novel. She listened, making sure that you weren’t getting into any trouble. For the last hour, she heard the murmur of hushed conversation. Little did she know the murmurs were divulging the world’s biggest secret. 

By now, you had slid to the floor and put a hand to your head. “So Hopper knows about this?” 

Steve snorted. “He’s a key player, Dusty. Him, me, the kids…” 

“That number girl.” 

“Eleven.” 

“Yeah.” You held up a hand. “Who sounds like a bomb ass bitch, by the way.” 

Steve let out a single, breathy laugh. “Hawkins, Indiana sucks ass, but they’ve been doing really well in the kid department lately.” 

You smacked the floor in realization. “Those little pricks did all this and never told me!” You jabbed at your chest with your finger. “I’m the party mom! What the fuck?” You gave a single angry kick to the air. 

Steve had rested his chin on the back of the chair. “We decided to do this thing where the less people know, the less people are going to be dragged into the Upside Down and brutally ripped to shreds or whatever that demogorgon thing does.” 

“So it’s a parallel universe?” you asked calmly. 

Steve looked away, fully aware of how stupid he sounded. “Yeah. Something like that.” 

You nodded. “Okay,” you said simply. 

Steve’s head whipped to you. “What?” 

You pouted in thought. “There’s a parallel universe you all refer to as the Upside Down because you’re dumb nerds. It was made because of the lab assholes and Will was kidnapped by the demogorgon, the monster from that other plain. Bomb ass bitch Eleven was subjected to disgusting experiments and was given telekinetic powers in the process. You, Jonathan, and Nancy, fought the thing.” You smiled. “You did only by accident, but you stayed even though you didn’t have to. I’m proud of you.” 

Steve swallowed. “Yeah.” He ran a hand over his mouth. 

You threw a hand up and let it fall to your thigh. “So Barb is gone and every single one of you, including Chief, has been lying to me. So that’s awesome.” You bit your lip and began to scratch your eye, trying to hide the few tears that were threatening to escape. 

Steve looked at the ceiling. His face was painted with pain. “Shit,” he whispered. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Dusty, come on. Do you know how much we didn’t want to tell you? But I totally just opened my ass here.” 

You sputtered into your hand, finally allowing yourself to smile. 

Steve stood up and held his hand out, which you took gladly. “Stop crying,” he ordered. “It’s gross.” 

With a small laugh, you gently punched him in the arm before your wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face in his shoulder. “I love you, Steve Harrington. There’s a reason I’ve put up with you all these years.” You took a deep breath. “You can be a dillhole, but you’re somehow still my bestest fwiend.” 

Steve closed his eyes and grit his teeth. “You fucking, bitch,” he muttered, too low for you to hear. He stepped out of your arms. “Let’s go.” 

~*~

When you wouldn’t stop referring to the demogorgon and demodogs as starmen, you were sent to the back of the line. However, you decided it was for the best. As you danced around the hunks of beef Steve was slapping onto the train tracks, you reflected on the last year of your life. 

All of them. Steve, your friends, your boss, and even Mrs. Byers was in on this government, other worldly conspiracy fighting _monsters_ in a parallel universe. They had all lied to you with the best damn poker faces in the world. Steve kept insisting that it was for your own safety, but if four little boys could handle such a shit show, why couldn’t you? 

In front of you, Dustin and Steve were immersed in what appeared to be a riveting conversation. You smiled at the new bromance and decided to bite back on heckling. 

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Steve said as he smacked a couple hunks of beef onto the tracks, “you’re saying that in an effort to make yourself look cool, you would keep something that was totally dangerous to impress a girl?” 

Dustin held out a hand, quick to put Steve in his place and stand up for his manly charm. “Alright, that is grossly oversimplifying things.” 

Steve wouldn’t have it. “I mean, why would a girl like some nasty slug anyway?” He tossed more meat on the ground. 

Dustin snorted. “Uh, an inter-dimensional slug, because it’s awesome,” he said with a grin, reaching into his bucket. He looked over his shoulder. “And don’t tell me that Dusty wouldn’t like it.” 

Steve stared down at his shoes as he snatched another handful of meat. He let out a brief chuckle. “Okay, yeah. But she doesn’t count as a girl.” 

Dustin tossed some beef into the air and laughed as it rained down onto the tracks. “Then why are you so in love with her?” 

Steve immediately panicked. “What did I say about zipping it?” he said, quickly looking over his shoulder before jogging up to Dustin. “It’s a delicate fucking ecosystem.” 

Dustin reached into his bucket, grinning from ear to ear. “You keep saying that, but what does it truly mean?” 

“It means don’t let them destroy the rainforest or kill the bees and whatever.” He poked Dustin in the chest. “I have a good thing, and I don’t need me being a dumbass fuck it up.” He smashed a beef square on the train track. 

They walked in silence for the next few minutes until Dustin spoke up. “Well, if you’re really that good of friends, you shouldn’t worry.” 

Steve’s attention was immediately caught. His eyes were glued to Dustin as he began to speak his wise words. 

“Think about it like this,” Dust started, digging into his bucket, “You’ve known each other for a million years and have literally already gone through and seen all of the awful parts. You know your strengths, weaknesses, and even the types of things you’ll say when you get mad.” Dustin shrugged. “Unless you kill her, I really don’t see a problem if it doesn’t work out.” 

Steve stared at Dustin, stunned by the young boy’s sage advice. “You’re a cool kid,” he finally said, taking a handful of beef and tossing it. “Now, let Captain Steve guide you through the sea of dating.” 

Dustin snickered. “The ‘sea of dating’?” 

Steve nodded. “Yes,” he said sagely, “it’s why there’s a proverb ‘there are plenty of fish in the sea.’” A bit of beef juice flew as Steve smacked it down. “The key to girls is acting like you don’t care.” 

“Even if you do?” 

“Yeah, exactly. Drives them nuts,” Steve said casually. 

Dustin looked over his shoulder. “It looks like it makes them walk with their head down.” 

Steve’s eyes landed on you briefly before he re-focused his attention on what was in front of him. “I’m not trying to make her nuts, man. Like I said, I am not veering into that territory.” 

After kicking a rock, Dustin turned to Steve. “So why do you like her?” His foot caught on a railing and he stumbled, but he quickly caught himself. “Totally meant to do that,” he insisted, straightening his baseball cap. 

Steve let out a shallow sigh and rolled his eyes. “Are we really doing this?” 

Dustin shot Steve and impish grin. “Unless you want me to go down there and tell her for you.” 

“No!” Steve shouted in panic, his eyes wide. He checked behind him to see that you were staring at him with confusion. He shot you an awkward wave. “Saw a tarantula!” he called. 

“There aren’t any tarantulas in Indiana!” you yelled back. 

“Saw a dog, then,” Steve countered before turning back. “Christ, Dustin. If I tell you, will you shut the hell up?” he said out of the corner of his mouth. When Dustin nodded vigorously, he began. “So it started when we were a lot smaller and shittier than you.” He hurled a chunk of meat way ahead of them. He held up a hand. “It’s hard to believe, I know. She had the nerve to splash some pudding in my face.” 

“Alright, Dusty!” Dustin laughed, his fake teeth sparkling in the sun. 

Steve scoffed, but pushed on. “When I was…about to cry, she grabbed the pudding and mushed it all over herself to make me feel better.” He looked down at his feet. “I mean, who does that, man? Especially when you’re that age. We’re all assholes then by law.” 

“Well, yeah. She threw pudding at you.” 

Steve continued to look at the ground. “Then it just kind of went that way. As we grew older, one person would smack the other person in the face with pudding, and the other would do the same to make him or her feel her.” He looked at Dustin and raised an eyebrow. “Metaphorically, of course. Got it?” 

“You like Dusty because even though she throws pudding at you, she cleans it up and puts it on herself?” 

Steve clapped Dustin on the shoulder. “ _Exactly._ Look for the girl you know will clean pudding off your face.” 

Dustin blinked. “The horrible thing is that makes sense.” 

Steve straightened the lapels of his jacket. “Of course it is. I’m the Captain of love.” 

The rest of the walk consisted of Dustin making kissey sounds and Steve punching him in the arm, both laughing like kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be following the over all plotline of season two, but this girl does not copy a whole scene of dialogue unless needed.  
>   
> I actually copied this into a draft without Steve explaining the pudding theory, but then I thought about it and went back to write it. I'm very happy I did. 
> 
> Also, I watched this this morning and it made me smile. I wanted to share for those who haven't seen it. <3  
>   
> 
>
>> ####  [Stranger Things Cast Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EvMYEfF_hQ)
>> 
>> Stranger Things stars Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery take the WIRED Autocomplete Interview and answer the Internet's most searched questions about Stranger Things and themselves. Joe and Gaten answer hard-hitting questions.Still haven't subscribed to WIRED on YouTube?


	9. There's a Starman Waiting in the Sky

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  
  
The smell of gas pierced your nose, making your eyes water. With a grimace, you let out a dry cough.

“You okay, tiger?” Steve looked behind him as he poured a line of gasoline from a five gallon can across the dirt. 

You waved your free hand. “I’m good. This stuff has just always made me light headed.” 

“Well, if you want to be a wimp, you can always just sit and watch,” Steve drawled. He stood up and set the gas can down. He shot you a side glance. “I mean, you are a girl and all.” 

You knew he was only teasing, but the rest of the boys had stopped what they were doing to watch. 

“I thought they were best friends?” Lucas was going to say more, but was stifled by a round of giggles from Dustin. 

“No, he’s _in love_ with her!” Dustin grinned. 

Lucas punched Dustin’s arm. “Shut up. This is serious, man!” 

“ _No!"_ Dustin hissed. “He told me on the way over here. It’s all about whether you clean the pudding.” Lucas stared at Dustin as if he had grown a third head. 

“Dude, what the hell are you talking about?” Lucas snorted, looking away. 

Dustin scoffed. “You're too young to understand women and the intricacies of a mature relationship. You need a very delicate hand and a keen eye to properly sail through the sea of dating.” 

Lucas gave Dustin a side glance before he burst out laughing. 

“Hey!” Dustin stomped his foot. “This is serious!” 

“Hey, dickheads!” The two boys jumped to see an aggravated Steve towering over them. He pointed to you. “How come the only one who will help me out is Dusty? And she’s a pain in the ass!” He waved them over and began to walk. “Let’s go! We got forty minutes!” 

“ _Alright,_ asshole!” Dustin replied, clomping behind the high schooler. He looked over his shoulder. “He’s just grumpy because he’s love sick.” He wiggled his eyebrows. 

“You’re making me regular sick,” Lucas countered with a snicker. 

“Whoa, hey.” Steve stopped right in front of you, blocking out the sun. 

“Oh.” You held up your current project. “I found this long strip of metal and a fuck ton of giant nails. So I thought I could hammer them in and make one of those spike things they put on the highway to slash tires on high speed chases.” 

Steve raised his eyebrows and pouted. “Well, color me impressed.” He leaned over and ruffled your hair, as he always did. This time, however, you wrapped your fingers around his wrist and leaned into his hand. 

“What the fuck, Steve?” you asked quietly. “Really. What the fuck is happening?” 

Steve shrugged. “You’re the one who wanted in.” 

You looked up at him and your eyes narrowed. “Of course I wanted in,” you growled. _“You_ were in. We’re a packaged deal. You know how much it pisses off my dad.” 

Steve let out a breathy laugh before he scrunched his face. “If Steve jumped off a cliff, would you?” he mocked in a deep baritone. 

You grinned. “And I would always say yes.” Steve looked around briefly before he sat down. You cocked your head. “Weren’t you just complaining about equal work ethic?” 

Steve shrugged and dismissed your concern with a flick of his wrist. “We just worked for half an hour while they ran their mouths. Besides,” he crossed his long legs and leaned back on his forearms, “I’m the big kid.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out two Coke bottles and a bottle opener. 

You shook your head and chuckled as he handed you the cool drink. “Setting traps to fight the demodogs and you bring a pack of Coke.” 

Steve wagged his finger and tutted as you clinked glasses. “No, no, no. I bring two bottles for myself and the lady.” 

“Hey, what the hell?” Dustin exclaimed, carrying a giant metal sheet to the bus. 

“The adults are talking!” Steve yelled. You gave him a gently shove on the arm. “Hey!” Steve protested, looking at you as a man betrayed. “What happened to us being a ‘packaged deal’?” 

The Coke ran smooth and cold down your throat, making you let out a long, satisfied sigh. “Of course we are, but it doesn’t mean I have to be nice to you.” You smiled slyly as you turned to Steve. 

Steve went quiet, suddenly very interested in his shoes. Then he threw his head back and finished his soda in a two giant gulps. He tossed the bottle into the air and did a little fist pump when it shattered to pieces on a rusty car. Before you could make a comment, Steve hooked his arm around your waist and pulled you to him. Your sides flushed against each other, you lay down and looked at the blue sky. You were going to ask if Steve if he wanted his arm back, but he looked quite content. 

“Don’t we have shit to do?” you asked to the sky. 

“Yeah,” Steve yawned, “but I say it’s break time. We deserve twelve seconds of things not going to complete shit.” He squinted. “The sun’s kinda pissing me off, though.” He slipped his sunglasses on and shot you a James Dean smile. 

“God, you could be in a Ray Bands commercial. Do you ever take those off?” You reached over and snatched the glasses off his face. 

“Hey!” Steve protested, trying to grab them, but you were too quick. With a grin, you slipped them on and smiled slyly. 

“How do I look?” 

Steve chuckled and rolled back, taking his arm back. “Like a Bowie wannabe who stole some Ray Bans from the only guy that will ever pay any attention to her.” 

You stretched out on the dirt. “You’re playing with fire, Harrington.” You watched as Lucas dropped the hammer he was using to nail a car grill to the bus. “I think they might need some help.” 

Steve groaned dramatically. “They’re learning to be adults.” 

You stood up and Steve followed suit. You nodded your head as you looked around the junkyard. You rubbed your hands. “Okay. Let’s run this bitch.” 

By dark, you had a full-fledged armored car and adrenaline spiking through your veins. 

“So I believe all of you,” you said from your place on the floor, “but I won’t _believe_ it until I see them with my own eyes,” you tried to explain. “Like, I know I’ll definitely see one tonight but-” 

Steve held up a hand. “Yeah, okay. We get it. Shut up.” 

“No, you shut up!” you clapped back, insulted. 

Steve was about to reply with something snarky, when there was a loud, crackling noise. You all froze in horror. 

“It sounds like it’s on the bus,” Lucas whispered hurriedly, a tone of panic to his voice. 

“Everybody, get the _fuck down_ , Steve ordered, picking up his bat. Before he could raise it Dustin appeared, unwrapping a Three Muskateers Bar. When he noticed that the whole bus had gone silent and all eyes were on him he raised his arms. 

“What? I was hungry?” 

“Oh,” Steve wagged a finger, “no, no, no,” he laughed humorlessly, grabbing the chocolate bar from Dustin and throwing it to the ground. Ignoring Dustin’s cries, he brought his foot down in a loud stomp. 

Dustin reached out. “No!” he yelped. 

Steve took hold of the lapels of Dustin’s sweatshirt. “Okay, shit head. In case you haven’t noticed we might like, super die tonight. But we just _might_ make it if we’re _quiet!_ ” he whispered vehemently. 

Dustin shook Steve off and pouted. “All of you dicks know nothing about candy," he muttered. 

You reached out and touched Dustin’s arm. You shook your head. “Now’s not the time, buddy,” you said gently. 

Dustin raised his eyebrows. “Dusty, it is always time for Three Muskateers.” 

Your rolled your eyes and took his hat, plopping it backwards on your head, ignoring Dustin’s yelp. 

“You’re just taking everybody’s shit today aren’t you?” Steve asked as Dustin took his hat back. 

“Think of it as my last hoorah.” 

The playful banter was put to an end by a screeching roar that pierced the soft, silent night. You all immediately stood up and peaked out the window. The foggy ambiance suddenly went from Stephen King spooky to primal fear. 

“Steve?” you whispered. 

He shook his head, not taking his eyes away from the junkyard. “You’re fine,” he assured, placing his hand on your back. You made sure to steady your breathing as your eyes searched for the source of the sound. You could hear Dustin’s heavy breathing. He was already nervous. 

“Do you see him?” he asked. 

“No.” Steve immediately answered. 

Dustin stepped back. “Lucas!” he called. “What’s going on?” 

“Hold on!” Lucas’ disembodied voice answered. 

“Thanks, Lucas,” you chided, making Steve snort. “That’s not even an answer. Just say, ‘Nothing-” 

“I’ve got eye! Ten o’ Clock! Ten o’ Clock!” 

This time, Steve gave a fast, aggressive rub down your back, trying his best to match the terror level of the situation. “You know what? They are starmen, but they’re just really grumpy because the children won’t boogie,” he breathed quickly. “We’re gonna blow their minds and-” he began to mutter the lyrics to Starman’ under his breath, trying to find other material to make you feel better, “so we’re just gonna lay low, okay?” He would never say something so stupid normally, but this was a dire situation. 

You let out a strangled chuckle and Steve was relieved. 

It didn’t last long, but a growl appeared too close for comfort. 

“Where is he?” Dustin asked. 

Steve shook his head. “I dunno.” 

You licked your lips and pointed. “There’s something moving. I can’t make out what it is, but it definitely isn’t garbage.” 

Steve’s breath quickened. He looked to you and Dustin. “He’s not taking the bait? Why’s he not taken the bait?” 

“Maybe he went vegetarian,” you suggested, trying your best to calm your nerves with a little sarcasm. 

Dustin shook his head. “I would rather eat a shoe than go vegetarian. Maybe he’s not hungry.” 

“Or maybe he’s sick of cow,” Steve said darkly. 

“So he is vegetarian.” 

Steve closed his eyes. “Dusty, I know you’re scared, but I will honestly throw you out there with no weapon if you don’t shut your mouth.” With a final roll of his eyes, he got up and made his way to the front of the bus. 

“Steve?” Dustin asked. 

You shot up and chased after him. “Steve, what are you doing?” 

He turned, his face set. “Just get ready.” He tossed you his lighter. 

You grit your teeth. “No, Steve!” You grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him back, causing him to stumble. 

“Let _go_ of me, Dusty!” Steve ordered, trying to get his arm back. 

“What happened to all that ‘don’t be brave and try to be a hero’ shit?” you mocked. Steve slipped out of your grasp and made it to the door, only to have you grab him by the collar. “Stop it, you asshole!” you shouted. “You’re going to die!” Your eyes began to well. “For _nothing.!_ ” 

The boys had gone silent, realizing that this wasn’t a fight, but a Shakespearean drama of two lovers about to meet their demise. 

Steve batted your hand away. He pointed to everyone in the bus. “This isn’t nothing,” he said. "Believe me." With that, he slipped out of his jacket and into the night. The kids watched as you stood there blankly, hugging his jacket to your chest. 

“Hey,” Dustin finally said, “are you okay?” 

You nodded. “Yeah.” You sat yourself at the window and watched as Steve crouched down, bat in hand as he slowly walked into the mist. He let out a whistle. “Come here, buddy.” He stood over the meat. “Dinner time.” 

You laughed. “About to die and you still a have that dry sense of humor.” You raised a shaky hand to wipe away a tear. They wouldn’t stop falling. Dustin noticed and quickly took your hand. You both gave each other reassuring smiles. 

“Squish as hard as you want.” He said. 

You could only nod, completely in love with the little man. 

“It tastes better than cat, I promise,” Steve said, his voice trailing off, keeping his eyes peeled as he swung his bat, ready to crack some skulls. 

Lucas snorted. “He’s insane.” 

Dustin looked at you and you both grinned. “He’s awesome,” he corrected. You both squeezed each other’s hands. You were about to respond but then, you saw it. 

It walked on all fours like a dog, but that’s where the similarities ended. The demodog came up to Steve’s midsection and had a head like a lily. From what it looked like, it could open and close at will. Its sharp teeth made a shiver go down your spine and it’s slick, bumpy skin made you cringe. It looked slimy, dangerous, and otherworldly. 

Most importantly, it looked like it was going to kill Steve. 

You watched as Steve’s fingers tightened around the bat as he slowly raised it. He didn’t want to make any sudden movements and provoke the creature. The demodog continued to growl, shifting and kneading the ground as it anxiously gathered itself for a strike. 

Your heart was in your throat. You realized that half of your life was standing in front of a vicious monster. Steve. _Your Steve_ was seconds away from being ripped to shreds. 

Your gaze was shifted when you caught a bit of movement. The world stopped when you saw a ring of demodogs dramatically rise from the mist and encircle Steve. 

“Steve!” you screamed, “they’re everywhere! Come back!” 

“I’m a little busy here,” was his sassy reply. 

“YOU STUPID FUCK YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!” you screamed so loud that the boys had to cover their ears. 

Being the only other sane person, Dustin threw himself to the door. “Steve!” he yelled. “Abort! Abort!” 

Finally, the demodog pounced. It was met with a violent whack from Steve’s bat before he started to run. As the creatures moved in, your shouts become louder and more desperate, which was stupid but unavoidable. At long last, Steve dove into the bus and slammed the door shut, pushing back with his feet as the creatures pounded against it. 

Amongst the bedlam, you threw yourself at the door, pressing your back to it. 

“What are you doing, you dickhead?” Steve gasped. 

You could only give him a scathing look because you were thrown forward as a set of sharp claws pierced the door, causing the occupants to scream. 

“Move, asshole!” Steve shouted, taking you by the arm and flinging you to the other side of the bus. He began to smash at the hand with the bat. 

Suddenly, everything went eerily and uncomfortably silent before a demodog climbed on top of the ceiling, smashing the roof with every footstep. Quietly, it stuck its head down the escape hatch to take a peek at its dinner. You instinctually reached out for Steve’s hand and grabbed a metal pipe, but he pushed you away, running to the demodog. 

Ready for a showdown, he let out a string of fighting words that you didn’t hear. Then, the most bizarre thing happened; they left. For a few seconds none of you knew what to do. You could only stand there in silence. You were the first to move. 

In a leap, you jumped over the junk and grabbed Steve by the head before you pulled him into a desperate kiss. His eyes widened to the size of saucers and he let out a shocked, “Mmph!” 

“You’re so stupid,” you whispered, between kisses. “So, so stupid.” You wrapped your arms around his neck. 

Steve’s arm fell limply to his side and the bat slipped out of his loose fingers, falling to the floor with a loud bang. Finally, the boy’s eyes fluttered closed and he sighed. One arm slipped around your waist and he weaved his fingers through your hair. 

“I can’t believe I almost had to die for this to happen,” he said against your lips. “You’re such a bitch.” He smiled as he kissed you. 

You gave him a peck on the lips. “Fuck you,” you went on your tiptoes and touched your lips to his ear, “and your sunglasses.” 

Rather than be provoked, Steve just pressed you to his shoulder and rested his cheek on the top of your head. Closing your eyes, you listened to his heartbeat. 

“Are you _crying?_ ” Dustin teased. Sure enough, you felt small drops on the top of your head. 

“Yeah, now eat dirt, you little shit,” Steve immediately snapped.

Your mind wasn't fully working at the moment, but you thought you heard Dustin say, "This is awesome."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *pants*
> 
> So this took me a night and half a day to finish this. I've been watching that "Beyond Scared Straight" documentary series while I write this for some noise in the background and because it is really, really funny. So I'm just typing away and I hear "Dusty." So I almost drop my laptop and look up. One of the kids was named Dusty. She was 13, on drugs, and I think was a prostitute. I had to put the story down for a minute. Wow


	10. What Do We Tell the Folks?

[](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“I spy with my little eye a…tree,” Steve said with an obnoxious grin. With one hand he began to mindlessly swing his bat. 

“Okay,” Dustin griped, “for the last time, you can’t _say_ what you’re spying .You have to describe it!” 

Steve nodded and ran his tongue across his teeth. “Okay. I spy with my little eye something really, really annoying.” 

Dustin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, real mature, Steve.” 

Steve caught Dustin in his flashlight. “I spy with my little eye no girlfriend.” He waved the light around, causing it to flash in everybody’s eyes. 

You snatched the light from him with your free hand. “Your hero card just wore off. You can’t get away with that anymore.” 

Steve recoiled, looking at you with reproach. “Ten minutes into being my girlfriend and you’re already busting my balls.” 

You scoffed, although you still didn’t let go of his hand. “Did you really think our social dynamic would change that much?” 

Steve looked at the train tracks and scratched the back of his head. “Well, yeah. Kinda,” he said sheepishly. “I mean, a _little_ bit.” 

You tried to hide your amused smile. “I guess I’ll kiss you.” 

Steve swung his bat over his shoulder. “Are you kidding me?” He looked down at himself. “Who wouldn’t want to kiss this?” 

“Me,” Dustin and Lucas parroted before giving each other high fives. 

“Twerps,” Steve grumbled, hooking his arm around your waist and pulling you to his side. “I don’t see either of you with a pretty lady.” He kissed the top of your head. You were glad it was dark, because you felt your cheeks flush. 

“I don’t see you with one either,” Lucas snickered. 

“Hey!” Both Steve and Dustin shouted, immediately jumping to your defense. You watched as Dustin shoved Lucas to the side. 

“Aw, Dustin.” You reached out and gave the boy a quick squeeze. “You’re my young knight.” 

Dustin grinned, pushing away his mic. He began to walk backwards. “You hear that, Steve? I’m her _Knight!_ ” 

Steve looked down at you. “Dusty, what the hell?” 

You smiled. “Is King Steve jealous of my 14 year old Knight, Sir Dustin?” 

Steve kicked a rock. “No, I’m just…no,” he quickly retracted awkwardly. “I just want to be the person who is there for you or whatever.” 

“Well, you have been since I was a wee lass more or less, so don’t worry.” 

“I spy, with my little eye, a pretty girl,” he said suavely. 

You lightly pushed him away by the side of his face. “Oh, come on. Is this what I’m going to have to deal with now?” 

Steve began to swing his bat. “Hey, I’ve been thinking this shit since you threw pudding in my face.” He looked at you and smiled. “Let me get it out, man.” He looked at Dustin. “Hey, Nerd, do you want to look cool?” 

Dustin opened his arms. “You’re looking at cool right now, dude. Take it in.” 

Steve chuckled as he slipped off his backpack. “This is some serious responsibility, dickhead.” He tossed his backpack and handed over his bat. 

Dustin’s eyes blew wide open. “Holy shit,” he whispered. 

“Why does he get the bat?” Lucas demanded, clearly jealous. 

Steve caught your eye and gestured you over with his head and a single click of his tongue. He knelt down and you immediately climbed onto his back. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you buried your face in his hair. Everything about him had suddenly become overwhelming. 

“Finally appreciating the hair,” Steve poked, flipping it back. You hummed in agreement. 

You leaned over. “So you’re saying that the pollywog is actually a baby demodog?” 

Dustin sounded tired when he answered. “Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt.” 

“The guy was so small, though.” You rested your chin on Steve’s head. 

“Butts never lie, Dusty,” Steve chided, making you laugh into his hair. 

“He’s molted three times already,” Dustin explained as you soldiered along. The only other sounds were the crickets and your footsteps on the gravel. 

“’Molted?’” Steve asked. 

“It’s like when David Bowie goes into a new era. It’s shedding your old skin.” 

“Dusty, I will fucking drop you,” Steve threatened. 

“She’s right, though,” Dustin said. “It’s when you shed your skin for growth, 

“When do you think he’ll molt?” you asked. 

“When it’s obnoxious and inconvenient,” Steve said. 

Dustin ignored Steve’s back sass. “It’s gotta be soon. He’s either fully grown or close to it.” 

“Yeah, he’s gonna eat a lot more than just cats,” Steve added flatly. 

You shook his head. “Stephen!” you whispered through grit teeth. “Do you know how to keep that mouth quiet?!” 

Steve answered in a relaxed, Southern drawl. “Don’t you mean my pretty mouth?” You smacked the top of his head, furious by his lack of understanding the seriousness of his words. The last thing you needed was a fractured party, and Steve just brought down the axe. 

Lucas jumped in front of Dustin. He held up a hand. “Wait, cat? Dart ate a _cat?_ ” 

Dustin’s eyes grew three sizes that day when he realized he was about to enter a shit show. “No. What? No,” he stuttered lamely. 

“Nice,” you teased. 

Although chuckling for your dig, Steve was confused. “What are you talking about? He ate Mews.” 

“Why are you doing this?” you asked. 

Steve looked up. “Shit, did I make it worse?” 

“I believe so.” You pointed to the boys. 

Lucas gave Dustin a good shove. “I knew it!” he exclaimed. “You kept him!” 

“No! No, no…no! –N-o! No I-, No-I” Dustin stuttered desperately. “He missed me. He wanted to come home.” 

You tapped Steve’s chest. “Let’s bail. This doesn’t have anything to do with us.” 

“Fucking A. You don’t have to tell me twice.” 

Steve walked off of the tracks and stopped right on the edge of the woods. 

“You’re a lot heavier than you look,” he said with a groan as you slid off his back. He stood up and stretched. 

“And you’re a lot more stupid, but I’m kind enough to keep it to myself.” 

As the boys continued to shout, Steve gently took you by the hand and brought you to him. With your back against his chest, he rested his chin atop your head and gave you a tight squeeze. “So, what the hell?” 

Your lips formed a thin line as you shook your head. “I have no idea. But don’t question it.” 

“What do you think our parent’s will say?” He had migrated to your shoulder and you were incredibly aware of the douchebag’s warm breath on your neck. 

“Shit, I haven’t thought of that.” You really hadn’t. “I think they’ll be a little shocked at first because we’re basically related.” 

Steve recoiled. “Blek! Don’t say that!” 

“But we’re not, so we’ll get over it.” 

“Nice save.” 

“Thanks.” 

Steve was about to reply when a familiar roar echoed through the trees, causing you to turn. The playful air of your conversation had vanished. 

“Did you hear that?” Steve asked slowly. 

The smile had been wiped from your face. “Yeah.” 

“Hey guys,” Steve called as he let you go and gripped your hand. When the boys continued to bicker, Steve shouted, “ _Guys!_ ” The air stilled. Steve reached out with his hand. “Give me that fucking bat.” 

Fully armed, Steve, yourself, and the boys clomped through the woods, following the sound of the roars. Everyone was uncharacteristically quiet. 

You looked up at the sky. “Under the moonlight, the serious moonlight,” you sang under your breath, doing your best to calm yourself. 

To your absolute shock, you heard Steve’s musical whisper, “Put on your red shoes and dance the blues.” 

“LET’S SWAY!” Dustin belted, dancing in front of you with the flashlight, sliding across the grass. 

Lucas shook his head. “That’s the Thriller dance, stupid!” 

Lucas put his hands on his hips. “Well, I don’t see _you_ singing!” 

Your eyes met Steve and you saw that he had started to chuckle. 

“I’ll be the audience. You always need an audience,” Lucas said. 

You grabbed Steve’s hand and let him twirl you. “Under the moonlight, the serious moonlight!” you chimed. 

Steve rolled his eyes and ran a hand down his face, laughing. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to yours. “Let’s sway,” he said in a flat business tone, which made it all the better. 

Dustin grabbed your hands and you hopped to the final ten words, “let’s dance,” laughing the whole way. 

Later you would find out that the demodogs were going back to Hawkin’s Lab; but for that brief moment, you had been never more carefree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 I used as little original dialogue as possible. The last chapter forced my hand and I hated it. This one gave me so much freedom and most of it is actually mine except for the pivotal lines. I hope to god it flows.


	11. Autobots, Assemble!

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


When the menacing, ethereal roars weren’t echoing in the forest, the night was filled with only the sounds of crickets and the snaps of broken twigs beneath your feet. After your dance party, none of you had said much. The reality of your situation had started to sink back in and it weighed heavy on your shoulders – much heavier than you had on Steve’s. 

“Steve?” you said softly. 

Steve jumped. “Huh? What?” 

You flipped your hair back as you chose your words carefully. “Do you think we’re going to get out of this alive?” 

Steve was silent for a few seconds, looking at his shoes and shining his light ahead. He turned and cast a lopsided smile. “Hell yeah we will,” he said with all of the confidence in the world. “I’ve had to babysit these assholes and I’m going to demand payment and I finally snagged you.” He rolled his head around his shoulders so he could catch your eye. “So, I’m not dying. Ever.” 

You smiled as you stepped over a log. “I wasn’t expecting such a bold statement. I wish I could say I’ll believe it when I see it, but I’ll be dead and buried.” 

Steve shook his head. “No, no, no, no. You’re coming with me. I’m not going to live forever by myself.” 

“I think it would be boring after a while, and if not, you are going to live through some horrible stuff.” You stood closer to him as you thought. “Imagine living until 2060, when technology is going to be insane. What if there is another World War?” You tutted. “I don’t want to be around for that.” 

Steve grunted. “Why do you have to ruin fun things by thinking too much?” He kissed the top of your head. 

“Because I have to think double to make up for your airhead.” 

“Hey!” He picked you up by the waist so that he was looking up at you. He hugged you tightly. “What’s your problem?” He had dropped his flashlight on the ground, where it would lie forgotten. 

“What the fuck, Dusty?” he said as you brushed his hair out of his eyes. “I was in feetie pajamas when I first met you.” 

“That’s obviously what drew me in. You just had to point it out.” 

“Hey guys,” Dustin said hurriedly. “Now is not a really good time.” 

Steve kissed the corner of your mouth. “We’re in the woods, pipsqueak. Take a hike.” 

“No, you guys really, really need to save this for another time,” Dustin insisted. 

“Look,” Steve said sharply, pulling away from you, “just tell me what you’re bitching about so you can can it.” Dustin wordlessly pointed to your right and you both froze. 

“Shit,” Steve cursed. 

“ _Steve?_ ” Jonathon and Nancy exclaimed in utter shock. 

“ _Nancy?_ ” Steve asked, just as stunned. 

“Jonathan?” Dustin contributed. 

You had finally made it out of the woods and to the entrance of Hawkin’s Lab. Jonathan’s car sat idly behind the two, its lights showing the swirls of dust in the fog. Not a single light shown in the lab, and it made everything more eerie. 

And awkward. 

Nancy and Jonathan stood side by side, staring at you and Steve with their mouths agape. You weren’t sure why they were so shocked; yes, it must have been surprising to see you, but it looked like they were staring at a six legged dog. It wasn’t until your eyes met Nancy’s that you realized why. 

They were full of hurt and clouded jealousy. It wasn’t the kind where you wanted to get back with your ex; she had left Steve for a reason. It just hurt that he was able to move on so quickly. That he even _could_ move on. It was teenage heartbreak, and it fucking sucked. 

Steve must have come to the same realization because he set you on your feet. “Hey,” Steve said, trying and failing to sound cool. 

“What are you doing here?” Nancy demanded as you all approached each other. 

“What are _you_ doing here?” you asked. 

“We’re looking for Mike and Will.” 

Dustin stepped up. “They’re not in there, are they?” 

“We’re not sure.” Nancy’s voice had quieted. 

Any further conversation was doused when another rippling roar resounded from the lab. You all turned. The building was massive and blocked out the moon. Encased in mist, it looked as if it had jumped out of a cliché horror movie. 

“How can a building look so scary?” you murmured. Without thinking, you leaned into Steve, who immediately brought you into a reassuring side hug, none of which had gone unnoticed by Nancy. 

“Because it’s filled with assholes,” was Steve’s reply. 

“The power’s back!” You all turned at Nancy’s words. Jonathan was already at the security booth, smashing the gate’s open button to no avail as you all stood around helplessly. 

Dustin barged into the booth. “Let me try!” 

“No!” Jonathan protested, But Dustin shoved him out of the way. 

“Let me try, Jonathan!” He began to smash the button. When the gate didn’t move, he swore. “Son of a bitch!” Suddenly the gate slid open. Dustin grinned. “Hey, I got it! I got it!” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” you said, leaning forward to get a better look at the road. “Hang on a second…” Before you could articulate, two cars drifted around the bend, their tires screeching. “Fuck off!” you yelled. You all immediately scattered. “No way,” you said as Hopper’s SUV stopped in front of you with a blare of his horn. 

He pushed open the door. “Let’s go,” he said without hesitation or explanation, just a beckoning of his hand. You and Steve only shared a brief glance before you began to help the kids into the car. When you were the only one’s left, Steve grabbed you by the waist and threw himself into the front seat, pulling you onto his lap. The car peeled out with a screech. 

So that’s where he’d been. 

~*~

The Byers’ home was somberly quiet as Will lay asleep on the couch in the living room. All conversation was held in hushed whispers and long pauses. 

“God, how stupid can they be?” Steve asked once he meandered into the kitchen corner, where you hadn’t moved for the last twenty minutes. Of course he was talking about the men Hopper was currently chewing out on the phone. His angry voice echoed through the small home, but nobody minded; it was how everyone felt on the inside. 

“Pretty damn stupid, apparently,” you said tiredly as Hopper slammed the phone back into its cradle. You lifted your hands and threaded your fingers with Steve’s before you leaned into his chest and closed your eyes. He was warm and he smelled good, too good for it to be natural. You would have to ask him what it was so you could make fun of him later. Now you were just too tired. 

“Past your bedtime?” Steve asked with a tiny, drained laugh. He tilted your chin up and rubbed circles along your cheekbone with his thumb. “Do you want to go home? You don’t have to stay,” he said gently. He turned around, “There’s a billion people here. We’ll take care of it.” He pointed to the boys. “They’re small, but they can kick some serious ass.” 

You looked up at Steve with heavy eyelids and a small smile. “If you’re here, then I’m here.” You pressed your ear over his heart. “I’m following you off that cliff.” 

Steve sighed and rolled his eyes. “Stubborn asshole.” He turned and walked over to the table where the boys were sitting. 

“Hey, Mike?” 

Mike looked up, his eyes rippling with exhaust and distress. “Yeah?” 

“Dusty’s about to drop and she doesn’t want to bail on us. Can she borrow your bed for a few hours?” 

Mike nodded. “Yeah.” He looked at his friends. “It’s nice that she won’t leave.” 

“Of course she wouldn’t leave,” Dustin snorted. “She’s in the party.” 

Steve had a hand on his hip. “Okay, I still don’t know what that means, but thanks. I’ll stay with her.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa,” Hopper said, causing you all to turn. He held up a hand, asking you to slow down. “What is this?” He quickly dragged his finger between you and Steve quickly several times. 

Dustin shot out of his chair. “They’re in love!” he declared, grinning mischievously. He pointed to the entire room. “And you I knew before all of you!” 

“ _Dustin!_ ” you and Steve shouted. 

“ _What?_ ” the ignorant shouted. 

Hopper stepped forward. His eyebrows were raised so high that they almost disappeared. “Are you _kidding me?_ ” 

You leaned back on the counter. “There are a lot stranger things going on at the moment. Maybe we should focus on something else,” you said tiredly. 

Hopper put a hand to his forehead. “This might be the weirdest.” He nodded. “We’ll grab you if we need you.” He took a step forward and held up a finger. “No funny business.” 

Steve gently began to guide you down the hall by your elbow. “Yeah, the sexual energy in this house is astronomical.” He raised his eyebrow. “What is wrong with you?” 

“I feel bad,” you said, as quiet as a morning dove. You sat on Will’s bed, admiring all of the toys and chemistry trinkets. 

“Well, that’s stupid. So lie down,” Steve ordered. You happily complied, relaxing on top of the covers and closing your eyes. Your muscles were completely relaxed until something touched your hand, making your heart jump and eyes fly open. Steve raised an eyebrow and looked down at your interlocked fingers. 

“Jesus, calm down!” Steve said. “Just trying to do boyfriend shit or comfort shit or whatever. Maybe both.” He chuckled when he saw you smile. “Just work with me, okay? Jesus.” He was sitting down next to the bed, holding your hand. 

“I hate seeing Hopper that mad,” you said. 

Steve snorted. “What are you talking about? He’s always mad. Guy’s a total prick emotion wise.” 

You laughed. “To _you._ You’re a real snarky jerk.” 

“You…are a really bad girlfriend.” 

You put your hand over his eyes. “Oh, so _weird._ ” 

Steve took your hand off his eyes and put it to his lips. “Shut up and go to sleep.” 

You looked at the door. “Aren’t you going to be bored? You should go out there.” 

Steve snorted. “And be depressed? Chief Stick-Up-His-Ass said he would get us if anything happens. I’ll just…” he looked around until his eyes landed up a toy robot. He picked it up and wiggled it in front of his face. “I’ll just play with this Transformer.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “They’re robots in disguise. Endless fun over here - oh, shit.” The Transformer had slipped from his fingers and had fallen into his lap. 

“Steve,” you said through the laughter, “this is weird, but I’m so glad that it happened. 

Steve raised up the toy. “And I’m glad I found this Rodimus Prime dude.” 

You bit you lip, doing your best not to laugh. “You’re a fan of a little kid’s TV show?” 

Steve scoffed and stood the action figure in front of you. “He can transform into a truck, Dusty.” 

“Oh, my mistake. Totally not lame.” 

“I’m glad we’ve figured this all out. Now shut up and close your eyes.” He leaned over and touched his lips to yours. 

“The counting sheep, assemble,” you declared before closing your eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just want to sit down and tell you guys something; I love you all **_so much_** _ _. I have three uploading sites, and everyone is freaking out about the pudding dating advice to the point that it feels like a fandom.__
> 
> ____
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and kudos on such trash. It's what motivates me to upload like a manic beast. I work very, very hard on this to keep everyone in character and would draw cool stuff if I could.__
> 
> ___  
> _
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _I love you and I hope you enjoy my garbage that it to come. I try_  
>  _


	12. Yas Girl

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


The silence was deafening when you awoke. The whispers were hushed, the quiet sobs were stilled, and the yells were snuffed out. You didn’t hear the excited voices of the boys or any kind of scheming. 

Silence. 

“Well, it’s about damn time, Sleeping Beauty.” 

Your eyes fluttered open and were met with a pair of chocolate brown irises. “Oh, shit.” Your voice cracked from misuse. “Have I missed something?” 

Steve ran a hand through his wild hair. “Yeah, a shit ton, actually. But everyone’s been fine without you and me.” He rested his arms on the mattress. “Us, Nancy, and the nerds are the last ones here.” 

You sat up and rubbed your eyes. “Where’s everyone else?” 

Steve’s face sobered. His words were spoken softer, “They’re um,” he ran his fingers through his hair again, “they’re trying to interrogate the Mind Flayer.” 

You looked at Steve skeptically. “’Mind flayer?’” 

Steve nervously licked his lips. His demeanor had instantly changed at the name. “Yeah. It’s the name the kids gave for the dickhead that’s been possessing Will.” 

You let out a puff of air. “Damn, you do not want to mess with that guy in D and D.” 

Steve opened a palm and looked at you in horror. “You know about this dork world?” 

“Yeah, I hang around and watched them play sometimes,” you said, folding your arms behind your head. 

Steve only stared at you with his lip curled. “That’s not something to be proud of.” 

“It’s not something to be laughed at,” you countered. 

Steve held up his hand. “Okay, whatever. They have Will in the back shed with the interior completely camouflaged and shit. Remember how the demodogs suddenly ran off in the junkyard?” When you nodded your head, Steve continued. “We’ve figured out that this Flayer guy has a sort of hive mind. You know, it’s like the boss bee.” 

“You mean the queen bee.” 

Steve snapped his finger and smiled. “Exactly.” 

You nodded. “We’re getting somewhere. This house is filled with people who love Will and he is such a fighter.” You were going to continue, but your voice cracked and your eyes became glassy. “He’s just a _kid._ ” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Steve soothed, sitting down, “no tears. Crying makes,” he paused, trying to find some words of advice, “makes your eyes wet,” he finished lamely. He put his hand on top of yours. “It also makes you look like a little bitch,” he said gently, making a laugh bubble out of your chest. 

You turned on your side and cupped his face. “You’re such a jerk. A funny one who can make me feel better, but a jerk nonetheless.” 

You saw through Steve’s teasing words and could see the worry swimming in his brown eyes. He may put on a cocky front, but he was the only person you completely trusted. Neither of you told anyone, but when you jumped off the cliff, he always caught you. 

“Yeah, well, your dumbass seems to dig it,” Steve breathed before he leaned in and gave you a firm, confident kiss. He immediately slipped his hand up the nape of your neck and weaved his fingers through your hair. The second he touched you your eyes fluttered closed. 

“What are you doing?” you whispered. 

“Writing a book,” Steve said dryly as he struggled to take his jacket off. “Whatever you’re okay with,” he answered, finally throwing his jacket to the floor. He paused and looked at you. “Tell me to screw off and I will,” he said genuinely, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. He sounded casual, but his chest was already heaving, obviously already worked up. It was immensely flattering. 

You reached out your hand and you pulled him to you. 

“Hi,” you said with a simple smile as Steve’s nose brushed yours. 

Steve was hovering over you, placing all of his weight on his forearms so he wouldn’t crush you. 

“Hey,” he said with his usual casual drawl, “what’s up?” 

You shrugged. “It could be you.” 

Steve scowled and jabbed a finger in your face. “I did not come over her to be sassed.” He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. “And don’t make a joke about that, either.” 

You huffed, angry that he took away the second opportunity for teasing. You gave Steve’s chest a little pat. “You suck.” 

“Well,” he leaned down and gave you a long, languid kiss, “we’ll see about that. You might change your mind.” 

You looked into his eyes as you tangled your fingers through his hair before you pressed your mouth against him in the most ferocious way. You pulled and tugged mindlessly. The guy was annoyingly right – his hair was incredible. You were ripped from your daydreams when Steve slipped his arm around your waist and pulled you against him, making you both sigh. 

You both instinctually ground your hips. Steve took a shuttering breath in your ear and ran his nails down your scalp. “You’re so pretty,” he whispered, kissing you on your jaw. “And annoying.” He placed another feather light kiss on your neck. “Loud.” He kissed the junction of your neck and shoulder as he began to unbutton your shirt. He laughed as he slipped off your sleeve. “Sometimes really stupid.” He paused and furrowed his brow. “No. Always stupid.” You both laughed as he took your shirt off. “And just the biggest goddamn pain in the fucking ass I have ever had the misfortune to meet.” 

“Thanks, Steve. That was poetic.” Your heart was fluttering in your chest and you watched as your hands dove into his shirt. He always looked lean and cut, and your expectations were wonderfully met. You dragged your nails down his skin. He pressed his forehead against yours and gulped, doing his best to maintain his dignity. With a deep breath, he sat up, his weight perfect on your waist. 

He blinked rapidly. “Oh, shit. Okay.” He pointed. “That’s your bra.” 

You looked down. “Why, do you want it?” 

Steve tried to scoff but was too red to be taken seriously. “No. I’m a bit flat chested.” He waved his hand so you could move on. “You know. The last time I’ve seen you naked was when we were four and taking baths.” 

“Yeah, and that’s going to stay that way for a while.” 

You screamed and shot up, sending Steve to the floor. “What the fuck is wrong with you!?” you screamed, pulling your shirt closed. 

“You’re a real fucking asshole, you know that?” Steve snapped, giving Hopper a scathing looking that the devil himself couldn’t achieve as he jumped to his feet. 

Hopper raised his voice. “Look, I told you not to mess around and you did. Now get outside or you’re fucked!” He fell out of view for a moment, but popped back in. “And not in a good way,” he added sternly before leaving. 

Steve helped you up and you quickly buttoned up your shirt and put your shoes on as he shrugged on his coat. “Whatever this is, it’s serious,” he said. The words barley left his lips when there was a roar. “Oh, shit.” He took your hand and you both took off. 

The boys, Nancy, Jonathan, and Hopper were standing in the living room, the moonlight caressing their faces and ready for a fight. Hopper and Nancy confidently adorned assault rifles, which gave you a small sense of security. 

“Hey,” Hopper turned to Steve. “Take this.” He tossed the bat to Steve, who caught it with ample dexterity. 

“Hold on,” you said hurriedly, running to the kitchen. You rummaged around the room, flinging open the drawers as you went until you found the biggest knife you could possibly find. “It’s the best I could do,” you told Steve when he looked at your weapon skeptically. 

“We don’t have time to get the greatest weapon,” Hopper stated. “Just get something that makes someone bleed.” His eyes were narrowed as he looked at the front windows. 

You could cut the tension in the room with the dullest knife. A chill went down your spine as the shrill, moaning roars got closer. 

“Hey,” Steve whispered out of the corner of his mouth. “Remember how we used to pretend to fight the monsters in the woods with sticks and I fell down that one time and cried for a whole week?” You bit your lip, trying not to smile at such a serious time. You nodded. “Well, this is just like that, except they’re fucking ugly.” As you laughed a growl came from the window, causing everyone to jump. 

“What are they doing?” Nancy panted, her voice shaking. 

You all watched as the leaves outside the window trembled. The demodog was pacing only a few feet in front of you. Suddenly, there was a strangled cry and a crash as something hit the front of the house. You all jumped and swiftly turned your attention to the door. Everybody was ready to fight, even the boys. If you were going to die, you weren’t going to go down easy. You would have been proud if you weren’t so goddamn scared. A high pitch shriek filled the house and you winced. 

Then. Silence. 

Everyone was locked in place, curious but with their guard still up. You weren’t stupid. It proved to be a wise decision because a dead demodog smashed through the window, throwing shards of broken glass on to you like raindrops. Everyone yelled in shock and turned to see the corpse laying heavily on the floor. 

“What is happening?” Your voice was small and shaky. Steve didn’t answer. Instead, he gave you a reassuring pat on the back. 

The silence was finally broken. “Holy shit,” Dustin whispered, taking a cautious step forward. 

You followed. “Do you think it’s dead?” 

Hopper was already over the creature, his gun at the ready. With little grace, he gave the demodog a small kick. The tension in the room deflated. As you were beginning to breath your sighs of relief, the front door squeaked. 

“Oh my god.” You would never admit to this in the future, but you jumped behind Steve. The locks on the door opened as if a ghostly hand was coming in for dinner. The door creaked opened and the entire room stilled. 

Heavy eyeliner. Slicked back hair. Chucks. All black. Nosebleed from overexertion. 

Bombass bitch indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was SO hard to write and I hate it SO much. I had so much trouble with Steve and I had to re-write everything a million times and I still wasn't happy, I threw in swear words, which always helps with him. It's definitely better than it was,  
> but damn. I'm really sorry. I don't know why this kicked my ass, but it did.
> 
> Anyway, I love you and here's something to make you laugh after all that garbage <3 ~~I'm going to find a way to name one of the chapters "Like How Do I Get Over Someone Because, Like, 'Damn~~
>
>> ####  [Stranger Things' Joe & Gaten Give Advice to Strangers on the Internet | Glamour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX5McntVCd4&t=192s)
>> 
>> Stranger Things cast Joe Keery and Gaten Matarazzo give life advice to strangers on the internet. "A strange thing happened on Stranger Things 2 this season, and it had nothing to do with the Mind Flayer, the Demogorgon, or the Upside Down.


	13. Ready? Break!

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Jane. 

Her name was Jane. Or, at least it was when she was born. A year ago, she had gone by the name Eleven, after the subject ID code tattooed on her arm. It had been shortened to ‘L,’ most likely in a way to humanize her. Mike thought of it, of course. He had taken care of her, kept her hidden from the government and scientists of Hawkin’s Lab, and damn, even his _parents._ She was the link between your world and The Upside Down, and she was the one who eviscerated the demogorgon. You had all thought she disappeared, but… 

“Mike,” she whimpered as they hugged each other desperately, tears running down their faces. 

Mike pulled back, a watery grin on his face. “I never gave up on you,” he said shakily. “I called you. I called you every night for-” 

Jane’s eyes shined. “-for 353 days.” Jane finished. 

Tears had been sliding down your cheeks since they hugged and you had covered your mouth, doing your best not to break down into an ugly sob and make the moment about you. You thought you had succeeded, but an arm slipped around your waist and you were suddenly in Steve Harrington’s warm arms. 

“Hey, you’re going to dry up with all of the crying you’ve been doing today,” he said softly against your hair. “You’re bumming me out, traffic cone head.” He was rocking side to side very lightly. “There’s this bullshit thing I’ve noticed that when you’re upset, I’m upset.” He sighed in faux irritation. “So you’re just going to have a smile on that face or I’m going to get pretty pissed.” 

You laughed softly into his chest he hugged you tighter. You looked up at him, your eyes filled with adoration. Steve’s expression was soft and he gave you a gentle smile as he brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. 

“Fuck you,” he said, able to keep the same face. 

You nodded. “Fuck you too.” You placed your head on his chest and closed your eyes, listening to his heartbeat. 

~*~

You all stood, huddled around the Byer’s kitchen table, ready to put together a flimsy game plan that none of you would ever feel confident in. Unable to fit, you and Steve had to stand back. Steve had the advantage of being tall, but you had to crane your neck to see. So you did the only logical thing anyone would do when they were planning in a kitchen; you jumped on Steve’s back. Jane looked at you, confused by your antics, but brushed it aside for the task at hand. 

You hadn’t introduced yourself yet. She seemed like the type of person who would respond only on her own terms. You had social anxiety, and if you were in her situation where she couldn’t trust anyone outside a small circle, you wouldn’t give a damn about people either. 

Hopper looked morose. “It’s not like it was before,” he explained. “They’ve grown…a lot, and that’s assuming we get in there because that place is crawling with these dogs.” 

Dustin turned. “Demodogs,” he corrected. 

Hopper paused, trying to take in the bizarre information of a child. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“I said, eh- ‘demodogs.’ Like ‘demogorgon’ and ‘dog.’” He smiled. “So when you put it together, it sounds pretty badass-” 

“How is this important right now?” If Hopper didn’t look tired before, he seemed two seconds from dropping dead. 

Dustin looked away. “It’s not. I’m sorry.” 

“I can do it,” Jane said confidently. Her words were soft, but she radiated strength. 

Hopper shook his head, a look of doubt on his face. “You’re not hearing me-” 

“I’m hearing you,” Jane asserted, her voice stronger. 

You leaned down. “I love her,” you whispered into Steve’s ear. 

Steve smiled. “Yeah. She’s a real badass.” 

Mike piped in. “Even if L can, there’s still a problem. If the brain dies, the body dies.” He turned to everyone, a glint of panic in his eye. “If we kill the brain and the army, then we kill Will.” 

“This is just cruel,” you said sadly. 

Everybody perked up when Mrs. Byers started to walk towards Will’s room. Exchanging unsure glances, you all cautiously followed her. 

His room was frigid. The windows were open and a chilly breeze was blowing into the room, causing the curtains to fly and Will’s blankets to tangle. He looked like he would break at the slightest touch; his skin was pale and he looked so tiny. 

“’He likes it cold,’” Mrs. Byers murmured thoughtfully. You looked at Steve questioningly, but he shook his head. He would tell you later. 

“What?” Hopper asked, voicing the question you all had on your minds. 

She nodded as she explained. “It’s what Will kept saying to me. We keep giving it what it wants!” She slammed the window shut. 

Nancy stepped forward. “If this is a virus and Will’s the host…” she said slowly. 

“Then we need to make the host uninhabitable,” Jonathan finished. 

~*~

Burn it. You were going to burn the Mind Flayer out of Will. You wanted to see the beast encased in unforgiving flames, but you knew the more painful the method would be, the more tortuous it would be for will. So burning it alive was out of the question. 

High powered heat lamps had become your method of choice. Like a team on a football field, you all gathered in a huddle and were assigned tasks. With a clap of hands, you broke and did your part. Hopper had zoomed off with Jane for reasons you had been too busy to hear. Jonathan had sped off to bring Will to the place of the exorcism, you were keeping an eye on the boys, and Nancy and Steve were tasked with finding the parts for your contraption. You weren’t sure how these pairings happened. Everything had happened so fast that no one had time to think, but you didn’t have time for your awkward love square. You had a monster to kill. 

Steve picked up a ball of tangled Christmas lights. He sighed and held them up. “Brings back so many memories,” he joked before tossing it over his shoulder. “It’s crazy. If I hadn’t walked in on _that_ night at _that_ second, I wouldn’t even-” 

“Steve!” Nancy raised her arms no higher than her waist. “Can we stop talking about Christmas lights and talk about the elephant in the room?” 

Steve pouted and looked around. “We’re not in a room, Nance.” 

Nancy ignored him. “You’re acting like we never even dated.” 

Steve straightened. “What?” 

“You’re-” Nancy struggled, looking back at the house. “You’re so happy.” 

Steve let out a short breath and scratched his head. He smiled. “Well, yeah. Am I not supposed to be?” 

Nancy absent-mindedly sifted through the garbage. “No! I mean yes!” She buried her face in her hands. 

Steve held up a can of black paint. “We're really taking a trip down memory lane here,” he said dreamily. 

Realizing that Steve wasn’t going to bite her head off, Nancy took a deep breath. She grabbed a giant light and set it aside. “I’m just…you don’t seem that torn up. And it’s not because I _want_ you to be sad. It just-” She huffed in frustration. “I feel like a relationship doesn’t mean anything if you don’t mourn it.” Her eyes met Steve’s. “It’s like it wasn’t good enough to be upset over.” 

Steve sighed. “Aw, Nance. Has this really been bothering you this whole time?” When Nancy nodded, Steve opened an arm. “Bring it in.” Without any bitterness or hard feelings, Steve hugged his ex-girlfriend. “It’s kind of hard to feel like a relationship meant anything after it was called bullshit, but I’m really happy I got to spend so much time with you. There was bullshit on my end too.” At this, Nancy laughed. 

“You were made for each other, Steve,” Nancy said softly. “I don’t know if it’s because you grew up together or what, but…” she shrugged. 

Steve gave Nancy a sly grin. “You nailed Jonathan, didn’t you?” 

Without any anger or bitterness, Steve got pushed by his ex-girlfriend with a laugh. 

~*~

“Why, Dustin? Just…why?” you asked, navigating the house with the carcass of the demodog. The thing was absolutely revolting. Its slime had begun to leek through the blanked and it smelled like rotting meat. 

Dustin was too busy to answer you; his head was deep in the Byer’s freezer. He was hurling cans, bags, and any other food items over his shoulder. They crashed to the floor, shattering, smashing, clonking and rolling across the laminate floor. 

He turned around. “It should fit now!” 

“Dustin!” you shouted, finally getting the boy’s attention. “Why the fuck are we putting this thing in the Byer’s refrigerator?” You shook the demodog violently. 

Steve stepped into the kitchen. “Hey, I have a question,” he asked sarcastically. “Why are you making my girlfriend hold a nasty ass, dead thing?” He scooped up the demodog. 

“Because she’s bigger than me and you weren’t here!” Dustin defended, flinging his arms up into the air. 

“When you need me, come find me. Don’t make her do your dumb shit.” He looked down at the monster. “Now why the hell are we putting this in there?” 

“This is a ground-breaking scientific discovery.” Dustin opened his arms. “It’s not just some hamster running around in its cage!” 

“I’m going to put you in a cage,” Steve warned, shoving the beast into the freezer with much difficulty. “You’re going to be the one who explains to Mrs. Byers why she has an alien next to a box of fish sticks.” 

Dustin put a hand on his hip. “Um, it’s _not_ an alien. It’s an inter-dimensional life form and the fish sticks are on the floor!” He pointed to the crushed box of breaded mystery meat. “That would be gross!” 

“Fish sticks are worse than inter-dimensional life forms, if we’re all going to be honest,” you said, rubbing the back of your neck. 

Dustin pointed at you. “ _See?_ ” 

Steve shot you a glare. “How about you stop being an asshole and help me out?” 

You walked over and flipped your palms out. “What am I supposed to do?” 

“Get the door.” 

You pushed the door open and braced it with your shoulder. The freezer’s cold breeze tickled your face. “I really don’t think this is cold enough to preserve a corpse.” 

Steve shrugged. “It’s better than nothing.” Finally, you got the demodog in and closed the freezer with a bang, holding it shut with your backs. Steve looked at you and raised his hand. You high fived and Steve gave Dustin’s head a good ruffle. 

Lucas was crouched down in the living room, sweeping up the broken glass. He watched as Michael paced. “Hey, you need to calm down.” 

Mike shook his head. “You don’t get it. That lab was filled with hundreds of those things.” He pointed to the refrigerator. “If you thought just one was scary, imagine a whole horde chasing after you.” 

“’Demodogs!’” Dustin corrected from the kitchen. 

“L will be fine,” Lucas assured. “The Chief will protect her.” 

You walked into the room. “But do you really think she needs it?” You pointed to the glass. “She completely mangled this thing without lifting a finger.” You looked at the door. “I mean, the girl only comes up to my shoulder and I know she can kick my ass.” 

At this, Mike smiled. 

Steve stepped into the living room. “Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game.” He grabbed a dishtowel off of his shoulder and wiped his hands, doing the best to get the slime off of them. He shrugged. “Bottom line, you execute it. All right?” 

“Right,” Mike answered, “except we’re not wearing dumb helmets and throwing a stupid ball. And we’re not even in the game! We’re on the bench.” 

Steve continued to dry his hands. “Right –so” he stuttered, looking off to the side. There was an awkward silence before you cut in. 

“So you shut the fuck up and stay put,” you said, placing a hand on Steve’s back. Mike looked at you with utter betrayal. You were always on their side. “I know it sucks ass, seriously, and I know you’ve done this before.” You pointed at Mike. “But you just made an argument against yourself; that place is up to its asshole in demodogs and we’re gonna demodie.” To your joy, you earned a room of small smiles. 

Steve grinned and pointed to you. “Yeah, that.” He whipped the dishtowel over his shoulder like any good 60s housewife would do and casually put an arm around your waist. “What m’lady said. We’re helpless until further notice.” 

“That’s not entirely true,” Dustin said slowly. You felt Steve stiffen. 

Dustin continued. “I mean, this demodogs, they have a hive mind.” You looked between you and Steve. “Remember when we were at the bus? The left when they were called.” 

Lucas held up a finger. “If we can get their attention, we can draw them from the lab.” 

“And clear a path to a gate,” Mike said. 

Steve knew the conversation was getting away from you. “Yeah,” he held out his hand, “and we all _die!_ ” 

Dustin turn to him. “Well, that’s just your opinion.” 

“You know, they have a point,” you said thoughtfully. Everybody in the room turned to you. You stroked your chin. “It’s not a detailed, foolproof plan, but it does have good bones.” You looked at Steve. “And it _did_ save our ass at the bus.” 

“No, no, no, no!” Steve said, grabbing his dishtowel and shaking it in your face. “Don’t you start enabling them!” 

“I got it!” Mike said excitedly, running to other room. 

Steve stared at you. He flapped his dishtowel towards the hallway. “What is this? Why did you do this?” 

Rather than answer, you went on your tiptoes and kissed his cheeks. “You’re very cute when you’re stressed.” You followed the boys. 

“Goddamn it,” Steve swore as he went to see how those dickheads were going to get him killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you re-watch that scene again to see how hard I worked to make it different while keeping it exactly the same and still ~~hopefully~~ funny? I'm literally panhandling right now, I know. When I write I have the show on. I need to pause it, stop, rewind, fast forward. Then I pull stuff up on youtube and read episode summaries for the timeline, all in the name of good storytelling because I'll be damned before I waste your time. @_@
> 
> Unfortunately the scene when they're around the table is verbatim because there was no way to change it effectively in my opinion. Everything else is %100 mine if for one or two sentences.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. I had a ton of fun writing it for obvious reasons.


	14. More than Madness: Christmas Addition

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“Come one, come all. Who is the fairest of them all? The sun shall set, and it shall rise. In this battle, the loser dies. If you are weak, then leave, for we are playing the game of King Steve,” Steve chanted as he shuffled a deck of cards. 

“You’re such a jerk!” you exclaimed, pushing Steve out of his seat. The cards flew everywhere as the rest of the room laughed. 

Nancy covered her mouth as she giggled and even Jonathan had an amused twinkle in his eye. 

You scooped up the cards and began to shuffle them in your hands. “What he was trying to say was that the game is called Kings, and it’s incredibly fun.” Steve sat back down in his seat, shooting you a glare. 

“Thanks a lot.” 

You smiled smugly. “Would you feel better if I let you explaine the rules?” 

“I’d feel better if you shut up,” Steve countered, running a hand through his hair. “But I’m going to forgive you for the sake of the game.” He fluttered his eyelashes. 

You grabbed his cheeks with your thumb and pointer finger and gave him a quick kiss. 

He looked down at you. “All is forgiven.” He turned to your guests. “Alright, bitches. This is how you play.” 

You were in the Wheeler’s basement, sitting at a foldout table. Christmas was in a few days and that meant every workplace all over the nation was having their annual Christmas party. Mr. Wheeler had dragged Mrs. Wheeler out for a night of awkward conversation and ugly men. On the other hand, you knew how to pick the lock to a liqueur closet and Mike was running around god knows where. Never having such an amazing opportunity, Nancy had grabbed you, Steve, and Jonathan immediately for a night of mischief. 

The three of you and three bottles of spiked eggnog were going to have fun tonight. 

“Couldn’t we have just used a big cup?” Jonathan asked nervously. 

Steve chuckled as the thick liquid poured from the glass. “Absolutely not,” he said with a grin. He put the bottle down as you began to place the cards around the bowl. “Now the goal of the game, kids, is to get really, really fucking drunk and laugh at the other people’s expense.” He leaned back with a pout and held up his hands. “So is everyone cool?” When he was met with signs of agreement, he nodded. “Sweet.” 

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “So on every one of these cards is an act, or something you’re supposed to do. Now, let me be clear,” he raised an eyebrow and looked at everyone in turn, “things can get really weird.” 

Jonathan turned to Nancy. “Are you sure you want to play this?” 

Nancy smiled in encouragement. “It will be fun! Everyone’s going to be stupid.” She gestured to the bowl. “Plus, you’ll be way too drunk to be self-conscious.” 

Jonathan gave her a small smile. “Okay.” 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Steve interrupted, banging on the table rapidly. “I want to start this game some time today!” When he was sure had everyone’s attention, he continued. “Now, the game ends when we run out of cards or we run out of booze...or throw up.” He looked around the room. “Understood?” 

“Yes,” Nancy answered excitedly. Jonathan nodded his head. 

“Let’s go!” you said. 

Steve smirked and grabbed his first card. “Alright, then.” He glanced at the card and smirked. “Now, who’s your daddy?” he asked everyone. 

You slapped him on the arm. “Just tell us what’s on it!” 

He grinned and looked at you. “Oh, you’re not gonna like it.” 

“Just do it!” 

“I get to make up my own rule,” Steve said slyly. 

“Oh, Steve,” Nancy warned. 

He was right. You didn’t like this at all. 

Steve drummed his fingers on the table. “What to do that’s funny and humiliating, but okay to do to my girlfriend?” Steve held up a finger. “Every time I take a drink, you have to kiss these lips.” He tapped his mouth. 

You caught Nancy’s gaze and she rolled her eyes. She had been there. 

“Ew,” you complained. 

Steve’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean ‘ew?’” 

You scrunched your nose. “Kissing on command is just creepy, no matter who it is.” 

Jonathan spoke up. “Well, isn’t all kissing on command?” 

Steve smacked the table and pointed at Jonathan. “There! That’s a man who knows what he’s talking about!” 

You looked at Jonathan sourly. “Thanks a lot, Jonathan.” You picked up a card. _“’Give 2 get 2,’”_ you read out loud. _Give out two drinks and drink two yourself._ “Oh, well we know who’s not drinking on this one.” 

Nancy, Jonathan, and yourself scooped up some eggnog with your shot glasses and all took a shot. 

Nancy shook her head and grimaced. “I’m not a fan of nutmeg.” 

“Sucks to be you,” Steve teased. 

Jonathan read his card. “ _’Raise to Heaven -Last person to raise their hand will drink.'_ Jonathan’s hand was already in the air, followed by yours and Nancy’s. You looked to your right and saw Steve lounging back in his chair with his arms crossed. 

“Oh, drat,” he sighed, slowly raising his hand. “I guess I’m going to have to dink and I guess,” he let the ‘s’ trail off and gave you a cheeky look. 

You were peeved. “Just take the drink.” 

Steve drank from the shot glass as if it was full size. “This is some good stuff,” he said, halfway through the tiny glass. “You really have to appreciate the little things in life.” Before he could say any more, you leaned over and gave him a lightening quick peck. Steve blinked. “No!” He looked at you. “I wasn’t ready!” 

“You never said you needed to be ready.” You shrugged. 

Steve huffed. “You’re such a bitch, Dusty.” Before you could respond, he pulled you onto his lap and rested his chin on your shoulder. 

You looked up. “Okay, Nancy. Your turn!” 

Although everyone was looking at her expectantly, Nancy didn’t reach for a card. Instead, she tilted her head. “I just don’t understand. You called Dusty a bitch and now she’s happily in your lap.” 

Steve’s eyes flicked up to you. “Well, she was being a bitch.” He shrugged. 

Nancy raised her hand. “That’s exactly what I mean. You shouldn’t say that!” She turned to you. “Doesn’t that hurt?” 

You licked your lips and nodded. “I think it’s because we’ve been friends since we were babies. You grow up with a certain friend dynamic and you know how you always give your friend shit and have a rude sense of humor.” You looked down and met Steve’s eyes. “Nothing’s changed. He doesn’t suddenly become a different person.” 

Steve sighed. “Nancy, it comes down to this; Dusty has always known I’m awesome, and knows I always will be. I can do whatever I want.” 

You nodded. “Exactly.” You hugged his head. 

Steve jabbed his chin to the deck. “Your turn, Nance.” 

With a small smile, Nancy reached for a card. She held it up to her face with two hands. _“Guy’s Drink – All Guys Must Take a Drink.”_ She looked at you apologetically. 

Jonathan and Steve got their eggnog and threw their heads back. 

“Ah,” Steve sighed in satisfaction, slamming his glass on the table. He looked down at you. “Now get over here.” 

You turned to face him, about to tell Steve to go screw himself, but his lips descended on yours before you could let out a single swear word. You decided that you hated Steve Harrington, because you immediately lost yourself. His lips were soft and he tasted sweet from the sugary drink. He tilted your chin up and traced his fingertips up your jawline. 

He pulled away. “Alright, sweet. My turn.” 

Your mouth fell open. “You just ate my face and you flippantly go on with the game?” 

Steve raised a petulant eyebrow. “Why, am I supposed to stop playing?” 

You grumbled and watched Steve pick up another card. 

~*~

About an hour and a half later, you were gone. 

“I’m just…I’m just _saying,_ ” Steve slurred, “is that if I was an-in-an a monster,” he held up a finger, “I would think the demogorgon was sexy.” 

Nancy laughed so hard that it was silent. She slowly leaned forward and banged her head on the table and left it there. She pointed at you. “You’re a gorgon.” 

“NO!” Steve shouted, slamming his fist on the table. “She’s a person. I’m saying-I’m _saying_ …” 

“He’s saying that if he was a monster, he would think the demogorgon was sexy, not that Dusty was a demogorgon,” Jonathan explained to Nancy. You had all quickly learned that Jonathan could hold his liquor, and he got to watch your antics with his wits about him. He was thus given the role of the interpreter. 

Steve nodded with his eyes closed. “Good man, Jonathan.” Steve turned to you and slapped his hand on your face. “Don’t worry. I know you’re not a demogorgon.” He smiled and gave you a heavy hug, his body limp. 

You drew a card. “Uh-oooooooh!” you sang. “You are all in trouble!” You pointed to the card. “Thiiiiiis…is for the most smart!” 

Nancy sputtered into the table. “Bye-bye, Steve.” 

“Hey!” Steve said. He was quiet, rocking back and forth. “Who was talking?” 

You turned and put a finger to Steve’s lips. “SHH baby.” You turned back to the table and he rested his cheek on the top of your head. _“Categories - You come up with a category of things, and the person to your leftt must come up with something that falls within that category. This goes on around the table until someone can't come up with anything. This person must drink.”_

“Shit,” Steve swore. 

Nancy snickered again. “Goodbye, Steve!” 

Steve jabbed a finger in her direction. “When I figure out…out what –yo-r-yyou’re talking about, I kick your ass!” 

You put your hair up in a ponytail. “Ojayyy…” 

Natalie leaned back in her chair. “’OJ.!’ 

“Food,” you declared. 

Jonathan was quick to answer. “Ice cream. It took him a second to think a category. He shook his leg as he pondered. “Music.” 

“GUITAR!” Natalie screamed, making you howl. “Um, um,” she looked around frantically. “Table!” 

Steve looked at her, slack-jawed. “ _Table?_ How am-am I sup’sd to work with _‘table?’_ ” He began to panic. He looked at you desperately. “Chair?” 

You looked at the King’s Cup and saw that there were no more cards. “Steve Harrington,” you began, “you hva lost.” You took the bowl. “Now drinketh drom deh cup.” 

Steve took the bowl and stared at the left over eggnog. “Bottoms up, assholes,” he managed before tilting the bowl and chugging. You banged your fists in rhythm until he put the bowl down. Steve stood up and shook himself awake. “Well, dickheads. I may have…lost. But the King…the king…” his eyelids drooped closed and he fell to the ground. You all burst into laughter. 

“Do you want to wrap him up in Christmas paper?” Nancy said as you started to sober up. 

You turned to her. “I have never wanted to do anything more in my life.” 

You spent a half hour deciding which bow to put on his hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Christmas and I couldn't get this idea out of my head and the rhyme I made up. I made a Christmas edition in another story and I thought it would be fun to do this as well. Kings is also a real game and there are directions online. <3


	15. How It Shoud Have Happened

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


The energy in the house had changed. What was once filled with sorrow was now crackling with excited electricity and the air was filled with the idea that nothing could stop you. 

Steve, on the other hand, was a ball of a stressed, manic dad. His alpha male testosterone and panic was boiling over as he tried to keep control of the pack of children and you. 

Mike tapped at a point of the roots on the map Will had drawn on the wall. “Chief got into the tunnel here, so this is where we get in.” He bolted back to the living room and looked down. Below him was the center point where all of the roots sprouted from. Everyone gathered around. “Okay, so this is kind of like, the hive. So maybe if we set this on fire-” 

“Oh, Yeah? That’s a no,” Steve said immediately, jabbing his finger at the ground. 

Dustin shook his head. “That’s not going to work. The Mind Flayer always calls his army to him when we get close to it.” 

Lucas threw out his hands. “Yeah, and they’d rip our heads off before we even get there.” 

“Guys,” Steve interrupted. 

Mike looked up, his face lit. “We circle back to the exit,” he said hurriedly. 

“Hey,” Steve said sternly, falling on deaf ears as he nervously circled the group. 

You grabbed his arm “It’s fine. Just relax.” 

He wrenched his arm out of your grasp, making you go wide eyed. “No, I won’t relax until all of you realize that none of this happening.” 

The conversation had continued without him. 

“And by the time they realize we’re gone-” Mike could hardly get the words out fast enough. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” Steve clapped his hands. “Eyes up front!” The conversation ceased and you all turned to the new designated dad. Steve twirled his finger to Mike. “Every single thing you said is not going to happen.” 

“We can’t just sit here!” Mike protested. 

Steve put his hands on his hips and his voice quieted. “Oh, yes we can. So, get yourself a warm glass of milk and some cookies, because we’re not going anywhere.” 

You looked at him. “When you say it like that, I want to stay.” 

Steve looked at you through the corner of this eye and winked. “I know what I’m doing, you gross dust bunny.” 

“Fuck you, man,” you said dismissively. 

Steve flipped his hair back. “And a-fuck, you a-too.” He turned to the boys. “I promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.” His voice was authoritative and threatening. He threw a finger in their face. “We’re staying here and waiting for the starting team to do their job.” He glared at them, and the boys took a stepped back. “Does everybody understand?” 

“No, but-” Mike tried, but Steve beat him to it. 

He whipped the dishtowel from his shoulder and violently shook it in their faces. “ _I said does everybody understand that?_ ” He leaned back. “I better hear a chorus of 'yes' or we are not going to be having fun.” 

“Yes, daddy,” you joked, looking mischievous. Before you could answer, a sound of a revving engine echoed into the house. “Oh, what a cool guy,” you drawled before you all jogged to the window. 

You watched as a pair of headlights grew larger as it rounded the bend. “Oh, shit!” you said. You turned around. “Steve, it’s Billie.” The headlights were lighting up his bright eyes. “What is he doing here?” 

Steve’s face grew dark. “I think I know why.” He looked at the boys. “You guys stay inside and hide.” He turned to you. “And _you_ crawl under a bed or something because he’s looking for you.” 

“What do you mean?” you said, your voice wan. 

Steve licked his lips and pointed to the door. “You haven’t noticed because I’ve been keeping him off as much as I can, but the guy has been stalking your ass around school since he got here.” 

Your whole body went cold. You knew Billie was bad news and nothing good was going to come of an unannounced late night visit. You looked at Steve with haunted eyes. “Come on. Let’s all go.” 

Steve shook his head. “No,” he said firmly. “This has run its course. Just don’t let him see you.” 

“Steve,” you pleaded. 

He smiled and leaned down. “Do you remember when we were 7 and made a binding contract in the mud about how we will always protect each other and for some reason we were under the impression that mud lasted forever?” He pointed to the door. “I have a promise to live up to.” He kissed you forehead and ruffled your hair. He looked around the room. “Do not look out that window.” 

Steve stepped out of the Byer’s home and stood in front of the door with his hands on his hips. He was doing his best to look casual, but was clearly the one protecting his pack. 

Billie stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut. He took a drag from his cigarette and looked at Steve with a smirk. “Am I in the presence of the one and only Steve Harrington?” he asked smoothly, putting a hand in his pocket. 

Steve brushed aside the stupid comment. “Yeah, try to keep the raging hard on under control,” he jabbed as he walked towards Billie. “What do you want?” Steve asked casually, crossing his arms. “Whatever it is, it's not here.” 

“I’ve been looking for Dusty, that pretty redhead that you’ve been dragging around with you.” Billie tapped his ashes on Steve’s shoulder and showed Steve a slick half smile. 

Steve ignored the ashes, not wanting to give Billie the satisfaction of knowing how much it pissed him off. “I honestly have no idea who you’re talking about, man. Sounds like some sort of vacuum cleaner.” 

Billie chuckled and took another inhale of his cigarette. He languidly blew the smoke in Steve’s face, causing him to cough. Billie gestured behind Steve. “Then who’s that fine piece of ass right there?” 

Steve whipped around to see you, Dustin, Mike, and Lucas staring at him wide eyed from the window before you ducked down. 

“You little shits,” Steve swore under his breath. 

Billie flicked his cigarette butt to the ground and crushed it with his foot. “Now, I’m gonna go grab the girl and take off.” Billie tried to walk past Steve, but he stuck his arm out. 

“There are an infinite amount of problems with that, but the first one is that she’s kinda off the market at the moment.” 

Billie leaned back and ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek. “Funny. I’ve never seen her around anyone with a dick other than-” he stopped and bit his lip. “Well, aren’t you a lucky dog?” he whispered. 

Steve nodded. “Yeah. So I think you should go home,” he said coolly. He wasn’t looking for a fight. Unfortunately, his friend went through life with _red_ colored glasses. 

Billie leaned back and scoffed. “So because you’re dating her I’m a lost cause?” He took a step forward. “Does she love you?” 

This caught Steve off guard. “W-well. Yeah. I mean. Well, she hasn’t like…she hasn’t _told_ me.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “There’s ah-friend love.” 

Billie smiled and nodded slowly. “Right. Sounds like she’s not quite spoken for.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Now, if you don’t mind…” 

Steve pressed his hand to Billie’s chest and gave him a shove. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, man. You’re not getting in.” Steve said, his voice raising in aggression. 

Billie chuckled. “You don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Steve Harrington.” He pulled his fist back a punched Steve in the jaw. Stumbling back, he wasn’t able to defend himself when Billie grabbed him by his shirt and smash his face onto the hood of the car. He twisted Steve’s arm behind his back. “You’re really bad at protecting your women,” Billie leered. 

Billie was shocked when Steve leaned backwards and they went crashing to the ground. Steve fell on top of Billie, lying on his back. Steve threw his elbow back and smashed Billie in the face before rolling off of him. He immediately stomped on his solar plexus, leaving the boy gasping for air. Seizing the opportunity, he kicked him in the balls. With a sigh, Steve stepped back and saw that Billie had been knocked out. With a final kick to his foot, Steve turned to the house. 

“Stephen,” you whimpered as soon as he walked through the door. 

He looked up and smiled through a split lip. A held up a fist. “Mud promise and _best damn babysitter of the year!_ ” he said loudly, looking at the boys, who were jumping up and clapping. 

“Dude, you kicked _ass!_ ” Dustin yelled, grabbing his curls. 

Mike brought his hands up to his face. “You beat the shit out of him!” 

Steve smiled and motioned for them to settle down. “Now everybody calm down. It wasn’t _that_ awesome.” 

He sat down on the couch and you immediately appeared with a bag of ice. You placed it on the side of his face. “You’re going to have a nasty bruise. Other than that and the split lip, you’re fine.” You crawled into his lap and hugged him tightly, resting your head against his chest. 

Steve let out a long sigh and snuggled you closer. What Billie said was haunting him. Did you love him? He loved you more than every fucking thing, but had been keeping his mouth shut because of the uncertainty. He couldn’t handle another bullshit relationship, and he couldn’t handle it with _you._ He would lose half of his life if you left. The thought made his stomach turn. Steve decided to push it to the back of his mind and focus on the smell of you hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been dying to write this one since I typed the first word of the story. Again, I changed almost everything (unless Steve's original line is too funny to change) and the Billie scene is utterly original.


	16. Stevie

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


You turned around. “Hey, kids? Can you leave for a few minutes?” 

“Are you guys going to make out?” Dustin asked with a grimace. 

“Why don’t have time for that!” Mike’s voice was loud and desperate. 

You shook your head and waved your hand towards the kitchen. “Scoot.” 

Once the grumbling boys left, you looked up at Steve. He was staring at you with hopeful, excited eyes. He ran his fingers through your long, ridiculous hair and tucked it behind you ear before he ran his hands slowly up and down your sides. 

“I think the little dickhead might have the right idea,” he said lowly before placing a kiss behind your ear. 

You looked over your shoulder. “I don’t know. There’s a bunch of kids over there and-” you were stifled when feather light kisses were trailed down your neck. “Well, okay,” you laughed softly before turning back to him, but not before you caught Mike’s eye and gave him a small nod. 

You immediately dove your hands into Steve’s hair as you put your leg on the other side of his waist. He seemed to have lost his concern for your lack of privacy. His hand slipped up your shirt and his fingers slid up your spine. You felt a mischievous grin against your lips and you couldn’t help but mirror it. 

“What are you thinking about?” you inquired, kissing the corner of his mouth. 

Steve pressed his forehead to yours and looked into your eyes, eyebrows raised. “That is none of your business, girlie.” He smiled. 

As you continued to kiss, Steve began to wiggle beneath you, letting out more and more sighs as he grabbed your hips and he pulled you against him harder. When you teasingly bit his lip he pulled back. 

“No, no, no,” he panted, his breath warm against your lips. He swallowed as he shifted underneath you again. “You can’t do that right now, not when there are kids in the other room.” 

You nodded. “We couldn’t do it anyway.” You leaned back. 

Steve looked confused. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?” 

“ _We’re_ going to burn the hub down and save Will,” Dustin explained as he stepped back, finished with tying Steve’s ankles together. 

Steve’s face immediately went from soft and seduced to irritated and suspicious. “What the hell are you doing you little shit heads?” he demanded, lifting his feet to get a better look at his ankles. He went to lift you off him, but found himself stuck. “Oh, you better not have…” he looked around you and saw that his wrists were bound. 

Steve was glaring at you. “Don’t tell me you had something to do with this.” 

You ducked out of his embrace. “Steve, we didn’t have a choice.” You looked at Lucas, who had snuck out the front door while you distracted Steve. “Are we ready to go?” 

Lucas nodded. “Yeah! Everything’s in the car.” 

“ _The car?_ ” Steve repeated, sounding absolutely horrified. “Okay, no. This,” he stomped his heels on the ground, “is already a shit rainbow that I am seriously going to kick all of your asses for this!” He shot you a soul sucking leer. “Why are you enabling them?” He shook his head. “No, no. We’re not doing this!” he ordered, his voice taking on a manic tone. “Do you guys not want to die?” He looked around the room. “Not dying means _not leaving this house!_ ” He asserted in his best dad voice, but it was no use. Mike and Dustin grabbed his ankles and you hooked your arms under his armpits. 

“How does it feel to be beaten up by 14 year olds?" Dustin snickered, smiling as you picked Steve up. 

Steve grit his teeth. “You didn’t beat me up, okay? You manipulated me and fucking hogtied me when my back was turned!” 

You looked down at Steve as you walked backwards out the door. “Stevie, we’re going. If you really want us to be safe, you’ll calm down and come with us.” 

Steve stilled at the sound of his childhood nickname. His brown eyes widened and the stress melted away from his face. “Hey,” he said, his voice cracking. When he got no response, he tried again. “Hey!” Everyone stopped. He looked at you. “Put me down.” 

Mike snorted. “Do you think we’re stupid?” 

“You’re kinda stupid,” Dustin said with a grin. 

“Shut up!” Mike snapped. 

“Put him down.” You repeated. 

The boys stopped their bickering and looked at you. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea for two reasons,” Dustin said, “one, he’s bigger than me, and two, he’s really pissed off.” 

You shook your head. “It’s fine. Put him down.” 

“Well, I’m going to run if he looks mad,” Dustin warned as he and Mike set him on the ground. 

You knelt down and began to untie Steven’s ankles. “Don’t blame Dustin, Lucas, or Mike for this. It was all my idea.” 

Steve snorted. “You don’t think I know that?” he replied as you undid his wrists. He sat up, finally free. “This shit has Dusty written all over it.” He leaned back on his hands. “So, ‘Stevie.’ I haven’t heard that name in a while.” He looked at you with a small, amused smile, his hair falling across his forehead. 

You let out a single laugh and looked away, unable to keep his charming gaze for long. How had it taken you so long to realize that your best friend was devilishly handsome? “Yeah. You were stressed and it just slipped, I guess.” 

“You know you gave me that name,” Steve reminiscenced, a faraway smile on his face. 

You were surprised. “Did I? I don’t remember.” 

“Yeah. Everyone called me Stephen until I was five, but you couldn’t say it, so you called me Steve. Then, like a dickhead, you got pissed that other people started calling me that, and you came up with Stevie.” He shrugged. “It never went beyond you. So congratulations, you nonconformist asshole.” 

You scooted over and rested your head on Steve’s shoulder. He immediately pulled you to him so you were flushed against his side. “I dunno. I just wanted to make it clear that you were _my_ best friend.” 

“And it was totally rad, but I will never understand how the person who needed to call me Stevie gave me this. Nancy kept asking about it and I said I scratched my head too hard with a pencil because I didn’t want to make her feel bad.” 

Steve pulled his hair back. The light from the Byers’ porch was just bright enough to show a scar as long as your pinky behind his ear. It was light and his hair was long, so it went undetected by everyone except those who knew about it, which were you and his parents. 

“Talk about being a queen bitch.” He let his hair fall back down. 

You shook you head. “Steve, rock fights are a staple game of childhood. You can’t fault me for following ancient tradition.” 

“Hey!” Mike yelled. “If you guys don’t stop making out or whatever, we’re going to take the car!” 

Steve looked over his shoulder. “Oh, shit. We gotta’ go.” He stood up and offered his hand. 

Your face lit up. “So you’re coming?” 

“What part of ‘We gotta’ go,” do you not understand, dumbass?” You could only smile as you took his hand and he pulled you to your feet. 

Steve got into the driver’s seat and you slipped into the passenger’s. He looked over his shoulder. “Just remember, this doesn’t make me your chauffeur.” 

“Lucas, put the window up,” Dustin said snobbily. Lucas pressed an imaginary button and made the sound of a window going up. 

Steve turned back and chuckled. “Where to, gentlemen?” 

“Inter-dimension, please,” Mike said hurriedly. 

Steve began to pull out of the driveway. “Alright. That’s going to cost a shit ton, but here we go.” He stomped on the gas pedal and you shot forward, none of you prepared for what you were going to face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart's getting a little sore because we're almost at the end. Also, did you like the last...5 chapters? I'm so self-conscious and nervous and I'm so scared now. oh my god


	17. Under Pressure

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“What are we going to do after this?” you asked as you got out of the car. 

Steve shrugged, slamming the car door shut. “Date. Eat. Maybe sleep.” He waved to the kids. “As long as this shit is over…” he paused. “Hey!” he shouted.” What the hell is this?” He pointed at the gas can sitting on the ground. “And _this?_ ” He looked at the swimming goggles and multiple other articles of armor the boys were putting on. 

“I thought you said you were cool?” Dustin shouted through his bandana. 

Steve put a hand on his hip while he gestured the other widely. “Yeah, that was when I thought we were like…gonna strike a match somewhere and run away!” he shouted and shook his head. “No, no. I’m pulling the plug on this one. Get your dumbasses in the car, or I will kick them!” 

Everyone ignored him. You and Mike continued to tie a thick cable to the bumper of the car. 

Dustin took a step back. “Okay, I know you’re angry. But this is happening. You promised to protect us, right?” When Steve only rolled his eyes, Dustin continued. “The bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it’s our duty to provide that assistance.” Steve’s face softened as the young boy talked like a man twice his age. “Now, I know you promised Nance that you would keep us safe, and there’s no way that you are going to talk Dusty out of this. And you love her, right?” 

Steve’s eyes widened and he looked over his shoulder. “Keep your voice down, man! How many times haved we been over this? Delicate ecosystem! I haven’t gotten that far yet.” Although he couldn’t see, he could feel Dustin roll his eyes. 

“Whatever. You still want to keep all of us safe?” He grabbed Steve’s backpack and bat. He pressed it to Steve’s chest. “So keep us safe.” 

With a heavy sigh, Steve took his gear. “Alright, but I’m going first.” 

You had just finished tying the cable when you heard Steve. “Hey, dust bunny.” You stood up and watched as Steve walked over to you, holding a red bandana and a pair of swimming goggles in his hands. 

“Hey,” you said, standing up, “what’s up?” 

Steve didn’t say anything. Instead, he pulled you into a tight embrace. He pressed your face into the crook of his neck. “Don’t you dare fucking get hurt down there or I will kill you.” He kissed your temple and he held you tighter. “And remember what you promised.” 

“Run when you tell me to run, and when you tell me to hide, hide,” you repeated in a deep voice. 

Steve tilted your chin up. “This isn’t a game, Dusty. You better fucking listen to all of us down there or you will fucking die. Do you hear me?” 

You had never seen Steve so serious. He wasn’t asking you. Hell, he wasn't even your boyfriend. Now he was your fearless leader. 

You placed both of your hands on his cheeks and looked him straight in the eye. “I hear you.” You felt Steve relax. 

“Okay, dumbass.” He tied a red a bandana over his nose. He tossed you a nurse’s sanitary mask and a pair of scuba goggles. “Time to be fashion forward.” 

You looked at your gear. “We look absolutely kooky.” 

“Hung up on romancing,” Steve added. He ruffled your hair, as he always did. 

While you had been romantically bantering, the boys began to climb down the hole. Steve yelped at the sight of pre-teens disappearing into a black abyss. 

“Hey!” he shouted. “Did I say you could go yet?” He ran over to them with you hot on his heels. Steve looked down into the hole. “Shit.” 

You leaned over. It was completely black, and the boys were nowhere to be found. 

Steve took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going down first, got it?” he ordered, leaving no room for questions. When you nodded, he grabbed the rope and repelled down. You heard a grunt and the thump of his shoes hitting the ground. “Holy shit,” he breathed. 

“What’s down there?” you called. 

“I have no fucking idea,” Steve answered, clearly stunned. “It’s a drop. Take it slow and I’ll catch you.” 

“I’m not made of porcelain, Steve.” 

“No, you’re a dumbass,” Steve snapped from the darkness. “Now come on!” 

You snapped the mask over your mouth and straightened your goggles. With a deep breath, you took the rope and you climbed down. Everything was completely dark as you slid down the rope. It felt like it was going to engulf you in its inky clutches. Just when your chest tightened, a pair of warm arms wrapped around you. 

“Welcome to the shit show,” Steve said, setting you on the ground. 

If you weren’t wearing a mask, Steve would see that you were slack jawed. You were wrong – the tunnel wasn’t black. It had this strange, ethereal blue glow and unidentifiable floating debris was hovering in the air. “What the fuck?” You shined your flashlight in every which way, trying to make sense of it all. 

“It’s the Upside Down, I think.” Steve looked around. “Didn’t know it had tunnels.” 

Mike shined his light on the blue crayon map. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s this way.” 

“You’re pretty sure, or you’re certain?” Dustin questioned. 

Mike turned from the front of the line, slightly offended by the question. “I’m 100% sure! Just follow me and you’ll know.” 

That was when Steve brought down the gauntlet. A 14 year old leading a rag tag team of young adventurers was not in the fucking cards tonight. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey, hey, hey,” he protested. “I don’t think so.” He barged to the front of the line. He glared at Mike through his goggles. “If any of you little shits bite the dust down here, my ass is grass. Got it, dipshit?” 

Mike looked at you pleadingly. And you sighed. “Steve, turn it down.” 

Steve turned and shined the flashlight in your face. “And _you_ need to keep that sass in check or so help me god, I might be the one who kills you.” 

For the second time that day your mouth had dropped in shock. You had never seen Steve act so bold. Yes, he always gave you a piece of his mind and cursed like a sailor, but you had never seen him so obscenely authoritative. 

“From now on, I’m leading the way.” Steve turned to the back of the group, where you were currently taking in this new side of Steve. “You’re coming up here with me.” 

“No, I should stay back in case something comes and tries to get us from behind.” 

“Yeah, that’s why I want you up here, asshole. I want to keep an eye on you.” He motioned with his flashlight. “Now hurry up!” 

You clenched a fist in frustration. “How many times do we have to go over this? I can take care of myself!” 

“Yeah, but I’m going to be freaking out whenever I can’t see you. So get the fuck up here before I leave you.” Not wanting to poke the beast, you weaved through the boys to Steve’s side. “Alright. Come on, let’s go.” Steve began to charge forward. “Come on! Move it!” You stumbled after him, doing your best to stay at his side. It was hard because the terrain was uneven and the tunnel wasn’t incredibly wide. 

“Don’t you think you’re laying it on a little thick?” you asked as you hopped over a rock. 

Steve looked up from his map and kept his eyes forward, flicking the flashlight ahead of you. “I think I’m laying it on just as much as I should in a situation where monsters could rip our assholes inside out.” 

“I’m not saying that this situation should be taken lightly, but…” you looked over your shoulder briefly. “Try ruling with love over fear, maybe.” 

For the second time that night, Steve shined the flashlight in your face. “What the fuck does that mean?” 

You liked your lips. “You know, Machiavelli? _The Prince_?” you asked sheepishly. 

“Shut up, nerd,” Steve teased, giving you a shove. For the first time since you dropped into the hole, you smiled. 

“Dickhead.” 

The boys watched in awe as Steve slipped his free arm around your waist and pressed you into his side. He leaned down and lifted his bandana, allowing him to swiftly touch his lips to your hair without prolonged exposure. 

Mike leaned back. “I don’t get it.” He lifted his hand in your direction. “They totally treat each other like shit, and then he kisses her!” He looked back at Dustin and Lucas. “I bet I could give a girl a box of treasure and I still wouldn’t be taken seriously.” 

“You’re using the wrong bait, dude,” Lucas said. “You gotta fill it with Eggos.” 

“Shut up!” Mike squawked. 

“ _Guys!_ ” Dustin held up placating hands. “Let Dustin the Love Doctor explain this to you.” He ignored his friends’ giggles and began his analyzation. “See, they’re best friends, like us.” He looked at Lucas and Mike as they continued to walk. “They’ve known each other even longer than we have. We always give each other shit and they kinda do the same.” Dustin adjusted his goggles. “It’s pretty complicated stuff, but you guys will understand in a couple of years.” 

“Hey!” The boys covered their eyes with their hands as Steve pointed his flashlight at them. “Quit the chit chat, guys. Keep moving.” 

You had just taken ahold of Steve’s hand when a dull roar filled the cavern, then a buzz of what sounded like a hoard of vicious bees. 

“Shit!” Dustin cried. 

You both spun around to see him lying on the ground, trying to wave off the cloud of swarming…things. 

“Help!” Dustin stumbled, trying to get to his feet. “Help! Help!” 

“Dustin!” Both you and Mike cried, running to the frightened boy. Even in his state of panic, he was able to grab the gas can. He made a valiant step towards you, but collapsed. All four of you were immediately standing around him, bending over to help. 

“What was that?” Steve asked. 

Dustin was too preoccupied to answer. “It’s in my mouth!” he shrieked. “Some got in my mouth! Shit!” He crawled around on the floor, trying to spit them out. Offering your arm, Dustin stood up on shaky legs, coughing madly. 

“You okay, little dude?” you asked softly. 

Dustin was breathing heavily. “Yeah. I’m fine.” His lips were slick with saliva and brutally swollen. 

“Nice. Very nice,” Steve said flatly, turning on his heel and continuing down the tunnel. 

“What an idiot,” Lucas grumbled, following Steve’s lead. 

You rolled your eyes and brushed them away with your hand. “Fuck them, Dustin.” 

Still looking a little nerved up, Dustin wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. “Even Steve?” 

You began to walk. “ _Especially_ Steve.” Finally, Dustin smiled. 

“FUCK YOU, STEVE!” Dustin shouted. You both laughed when you were answered by a middle finger held high in the air. 

You rubbed Dustin’s back. “You okay?” 

Dustin nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” He stopped, causing you to pause. 

“What's up?” Instead of answering, Dustin gave you a tight hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed almost all of the dialogue blah blah blah
> 
> I'm sorry for the uncharacteristic span of time between chapters. I've been having an identity crisis with this story for a couple of reasons. I have a rule that I never read other stories in the same genre that I'm writing, but I broke the rule. It was on another website, and it was all garbage with spelling, grammar mistakes, (they didn't even change paragraphs for dialogue) and OOC -which is the most damned sin for me- but was somehow getting more attention than this. And I put so, so, SO much work into this and now it just seems moot and maybe this isn't good just because I have readers.
> 
> I've just been watching The Twilight Zone for three days and eating away my fic author sorrows with christmas cookies. #meltdownover
> 
>  
> 
> [also this (I spit on my computer at 4:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-4rhjO6xYg)


	18. Dustin Henderson, Love Doctor MD

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


The atmosphere slowly changed as you continued down the tunnel. Everyone had become unnervingly quiet as Steve lead the way, consulting the map whenever you were faced with a turn or a fork in the road. Aside from the strange glow that emanated from the place, your flashlights were the only light in the tunnel. 

“What do you think is up there?” you asked quietly. 

Steve’s flashlight was trained on the map. “I dunno.” He looked up. “But it’s not good and we’re probably going to have to fight.” 

Your eyes wandered to the bat that was menacingly poking out of Steve’s backpack. “So this…demogorgon, was he different than these dogs?” 

Steve looked at you. “Oh, that fucker was scary. Guy had to be 8 feet tall or something. These things are just babies.” He looked down at the map again. “If it was one, or even a dozen, we would have handled these dogs with no problem, but this,” he flicked his flashlight around the tunnel, “is demogorgon super mutants on steroids with a hoard.” 

“I can’t believe you hid all of this from me, Steve.” You were looking at your long time best friend, mud buddy, partner in crime, and boyfriend. “I know it was because of the danger, but since when had you ever really cared about that?” 

Steve stopped and for the third time, shined his light in your face. “Dude,” he said simply. His voice had a strong air of annoyance and frustration, and you couldn’t make heads or tails of it. 

You put your hands up. “Please get that light out my face,” you asked through squinted eyes. By now, the boys had stopped. 

Lucas took in a breath, but Dustin immediately covered his mouth. He sighed. “This is a pivotal step of love. You obviously didn’t recognize it because you aren’t as well versed. So just chill for a second.” 

Lucas smacked Dustin’s hand away, but remained quiet. 

Your face fell. “Steve, what’s going on?” You were getting concerned. 

Steve let go of the map and looked side to side. “You want to know why I didn’t tell you?” Steve pushed his goggles up and pulled his bandana down, ignoring everyone’s protests. He held out a pointer finger and he tapped it. “One, when we were five, I ran all over the neighborhood to get you a bunch of flowers. They ended up being dandelions, but we were both dumb as rocks and you loved them anyway.” He tapped his middle finger. “Two, remember when your neighbor’s nasty dog chewed up your doll? I asked my mom to sew it back together as a secret and put it back in your room.” He cocked his head. “You never questioned that. Jesus, you were dumb.” Steve was getting more worked up as he continued to talk. “Three, when I was ten, I beat up that Johnny kid because he stole your half dollar.” He tapped his ring finger. “Four, I was six and I used all of my birthday money to buy you that Candy Land for Christmas.” He put his goggles back on and pulled his bandana up. “ _That’s_ why I didn’t tell you.” He crouched down and grabbed the map. “Now let’s go.” 

Everyone stood in stunned silence as Steve stalked off. 

“Holy shit,” Mike whispered. 

“Whoa…” Lucas said as they slowly began to move. He looked over at Dustin with a tiny smirk. “Did you see that coming, Love Doctor?” 

“I knew the basics, I just didn’t know it would be like that,” Dustin said in awe. 

“What do you mean?” Mike asked. 

Dustin didn’t answer right away. “Well, I’m going to it to myself. Professionals only, guys.” 

Lucas groaned. “Shut up.” 

“Just keep walking. We have more important things to worry about right now,” Mike said. 

Up front, things had become awkwardly professional. The only time Steve talked to you was to give orders. The worst part was that you didn’t understand why he was so upset. His outburst didn’t make sense to you, and you knew that just pissed him off even more. You wish he would just tell you so you could at least apologize for it. You hated to see him this upset, especially when it was on your behalf. 

After minutes of agony, Steve finally spoke. “Hide and seek’s over, Wheeler. I think we found your hub.” Steve said. 

You all stopped and swept your flashlights around the central cavern. Tunnels lined the wall with multiple tunnels, branching out under Hawkins, Indiana. Your lights finally landed on the ground. Masses of goop and pulply vines littered the floor in a grotesque mess. 

“Let’s drench it,” Mike said fearlessly. 

For the next few minutes, you doused the place with gas. Everyone made sure not to miss an inch as they walked around the cavern. The place was soon overwhelmed with the smell of gas, making you grateful for your goggles and mask. 

“Okay, let’s go!” Steve called. You all set your empty cans down and ran to the tunnel. 

Steve looked at the group. “Ready, bitches?” When you all screamed in affirmation, Steve took out his lighter and tossed it. You all leaned back and watched the cavern go up in flames. 

The explosion came in a wave of unexplainable heat and an eardrum breaking boom that shook the tunnel. 

“Haul ass!” Steve shouted, waving you all away. “Go, go, go!” When you didn’t move, he shoved you. “You too, douchebag!” After a second of hesitation, you took off after a screaming Dustin. 

Somehow, Steve had caught up and pushed his way in front of you. He looked over his shoulder. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” 

By now, Dustin was shrieking. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” 

Your heart pounded as your feet slammed on the rock and you were in desperate need of air. You felt the heat on your back, and it was getting uncomfortably closer with ever second. What made you more scared were the kids running behind you. Coming to a decision, you came to a stumbling halt and let them go ahead of you before bolting. Back there it was even hotter and more terrifying. 

“Hey, this way!” Steve shouted, taking a right. 

Dustin hopped after him as best he could. He was starting to make you nervous. However, it turned out that you were concerned about the wrong kid, because Mike tumbled to the ground. To your horror, a tentacle caught him by the ankle. 

This was why you went to the back. 

“Somebody help me!” he cried. 

You stumbled to your knees. “Hey, man! I’m right here!” You began to stomp the shit out of the tentacle. Looking around, you found a large, pointy rock. Reaching over, you smashed it, cutting the tentacle into two pieces. You took Mike’s hand and helped him. You saw that the group was making their way to you, but you waved them off. 

Mike stood up. “Thank you,” he said breathlessly. 

You rubbed his back. “Are you okay?” Before you could answer, a growl caught your attention, making you both turn. A chill went down your spine and your heart stopped; a demodog was standing right in front of you, emitting a low growl and readying itself to pounce. “Hey, guys? There’s a demodog behind you," you called, trying not to provoke it. 

Steve was the first one to arrive. He grabbed Mike and flung him back to the group, where he would be further away. Steve pushed you behind his back, pressing you against his jacket. Bat in hand, he whispered, “Don’t move.” You both watched as Dustin slowly stepped forward. 

“Dart?” To your astonishment, the dog calmed. 

Dustin waved away his friends as they protested. “Trust me, please.” 

You watched as Steve’s free arm went all the way to your waist. 

Dustin crept closer to Dart. “Hey, it’s me, it’s me. It’s just your friend, it’s Dustin.” 

“Fucking idiot,” Steve mumbled. 

Dustin crouched down. “It’s Dustin, all right?” Dart took several steps forward and let out a little purr. “You remember me? Will you let us pass?” Dustin asked gently. 

Dart opened his mouth and snarled in response, making you, Steve, and the rest of the crew to stumble backwards. You felt Steve’s grip on you tighten. 

Dustin was quick to apologize. He smiled gently. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douchey thing to do.” He reached into his backpack. “You hungry? Yeah?” 

Lucas spoke up, “He’s gone nuts.” 

“Not right now,” Mike whispered. 

“Shut up,” he ordered quietly. 

Dustin smiled and held out a candy. “I’ve got our favorite. See? Nougat.” 

You snorted. “Of course a demodog would like those. They’re fucking nasty.” Steve gave you a shove and you quickly shut your mouth. 

As the dog munched on the candy, you began to sneak around them. Steve had a firm grasp on your hand as you tiptoed. Once you were in the clear, you stopped and waited for Dustin. 

“Let’s go,” Steve said, bringing you with him. 

With a little less trepidation, you made your way to the exit. Pulling yourself up the rope, you realized that you never thought you would make it out. Crawling onto the dirt, you sat down and waited for Steve. He had insisted that he would go last. As soon as you saw his hands, you let out a sigh of relief. With a grunt, Steve climbed out of the hole and lay down. He ripped his goggles and bandana off and immediately rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the pressure the glasses had put on his skin. Once he was satisfied, he limply dropped his arms spread eagle on the ground. 

He shook his head and looked at the sky. “Nobody in this town knows how much we just risked our asses for them.” He looked at you. “I don’t even _like_ anyone here.” 

You pointed to Dustin, Lucas, and Mike. “You like them, and you like Will. He’s the whole reason we’re doing this.” 

Steve lifted his head and looked at the group of ruffians. “Yeah. They have unfortunately grown on me.” 

“You used to like me,” you said flatly. 

Steve sat up. “Of course I like you, you dipshit. That’s why you’re pissing me off!” He stood and offered you his hand. After you were on your feet, Steve made a b-line to the kids. 

You went after him and pulled him by his shoulder. “Hey!” you shouted, causing everyone to turn. “What’s your problem?” 

Steve ran a hand down his face. “If you can’t figure it out, man, I’m not going to waste my breath and explain,” he said. His voice had suddenly become tired. “I’ll be…” he pointed aimlessly, “over there.” True to his word, Steve left, quickly disappearing into the dark. 

You were agape. You turned to the boys as your eyes started to well. “What did I do?” 

Lucas and Mike looked at each other in bewilderment, but Dustin stepped forward. 

Dustin spoke up. “Dusty, the dude has been in love with you forever.” 

Mike pushed him. “How do you know?” 

Stumbling, Dustin threw up his hands. “Not only are the signs _blindingly obvious,_ but he told me he did.” He turned to you. “He kept saying that he didn’t want to tell you because it was a ‘delicate ecosystem.’” 

You shook your head, amused. “You misunderstood.” 

“Well, what did he just tell you?” Dustin asked. 

“That he hates me because he likes me. He also listed all of the wonderful things he did for me as a-oh my god.” Your hand flew to your mouth and your heart leapt. “Stephen Harrington…” 

“Loves you a lot,” Dustin finished. 

“Holy shit!” Mike exclaimed. 

Lucas looked between you and Dustin. “So…does that make him our dad, or what?” 

“Stop!” Dustin ordered. “We’ll figure everything out after she talks to him.” When he saw that you were standing there in shellshock, he shewd you away. “Go,” he encouraged. 

“Okay,” you said, still not completely there. “Um, I should," you walked to your let, "I don't know maybe..." you raised a hand, then slowly turned in a circle, having no idea what to do. "We’ll..we'll be back.” 

“Wow,” Mike said as you disappeared. He looked at Dustin. “You really are the Love Doctor.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm truly sorry if this is bad. I didn't eat enough before I took my epilepsy medication, so I was passing out and falling down all over my house and down the stairs like an asshole. I couldn't walk, had double vision, and was hardly conscious while I was typing so please, please, please forgive me. ****
> 
> I kept all of the dialogue with Dustin and Dart because I thought the original was too sweet to change.
> 
> [ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)
> 
>   


	19. Cupid, Draw Back Your Bow

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Surprisingly, trying to find someone in the dark was very hard. You chastised yourself for not asking one of the boys for their flashlights. You were also a little pissed no one even offered one. As you traversed the field, you reflected on the recent discovery that Steve Harrington loved you, and since you were _children._ Absolutely everything that happened in your past relationship had changed. 

It was clear why he, out of all people, associated you not with ‘Lady Stardust,’ but ‘Rebel, Rebel’ from your lord and savior’s Diamond Dog’s album. 

_“Isn’t Bowie mostly singing about a guy in ‘Lady Stardust’?” Steve asked, lounging on your bed and flipping through a sports magazine._

_A small gasp fell from your lips. “Yes. Yes he is.”_

_Steve looked you up and down. “Jesus. Don’t wet yourself._

_“I’d say you’re a ‘Fashion’ and ‘Fame’ kinda guy._

_Steve threw his magazine at you._

Only someone who loved you would see that. You smiled at the thought, taking cautious steps around rocks and the holes of animal dens. Just when you decided Steve had been eaten by wolves, you saw the ice-y blue and white glow of his flashlight. 

“Hey!” you shouted. To your annoyance, the light disappeared. “Oh, come on asshole! I know you’re there and I’ll find you eventually. What, are you just going to just sit in the dark?” The light flicked on. Satisfied, you quelled your berating. 

Your heart started to pound. What were you going to say? What were you _supposed_ to say? 

“Why are you being such a little bitch?” you demanded, ripping the flashlight out of Steve’s hand and shining it in his face. 

Steve leaned back and put his hands over his squinting eyes. “Because you _are_ a bitch. Now get that off me!” 

You allowed Steve to look away before you set the flashlight down several feet away. That way, you could see each other without going blind. 

Steve raised his eyebrows and a hand. “You know I walked all the way over here to get away from you, right?” he said, his voice laced with heavy sarcasm. 

You huffed at his immaturity. “Yeah, and I came after you to see why and talk. Like an adult.” you added. 

Steve looked away. “Yeah…” Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “Come on and…adult down here or whatever.” He motioned for you to sit across from him. 

“Okay, your little bitch points are going down a bit.” You sat down and folded your legs. 

Steve looked away and let out a small laugh. “Thank Christ. I was gettin’ a little worried there.” 

“So how’s it going?” 

Steve leaned forward and pushed you over with one hand. 

With a chuckle, you righted yourself. You put your hands up in surrender and hung your head. “I’m sorry. I promise to be serious.” 

“Yeah, you better be.” Steve drew one knee to his chest and leaned back on his hands. “Really opening my ass here.” 

“So,” you began slowly, “I remember you saying that you’ve had non-platonic feelings since I first cleaned pudding off your face? I knew at the very least that you were baby crushing. Please don’t think this has turned everything on its head.” 

Steve snorted. “Except it does and I kinda…” he groaned and put his face in his hands. “digged you after. Like,” he snapped his fingers, “as soon as you smeared that pudding on your face.” 

“So, what. You got a food fetish?” 

“Dusty!” 

Feeling like the douche that you were, you slid over and rested your head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m just nervous.” 

Steve looked down at you and raised an eyebrow. “ _You’re_ nervous?” 

“Yeah. I fell in love with you a few days ago.” 

“You _what?_ ” Steve shouted, pushing you off him. He stuck a finger in your face. “What is your problem? Why would you tell me this _now_ instead of there?” He pointed ambiguously into the dark without taking his eyes away from yours. “God, you are such an asshole!” 

“I love you,” you said sincerely. 

Steve looked like had been hit by a brick. For the first time since you put a foot in Hawkin’s high school, Steve had puppy dog eyes. You were determined not to say anything, because you knew he would stop. 

Rather than say something gooey, Steve pulled you into his lap and held your back against his chest. He nuzzled into your neck and gave you a tight squeeze. “I love you, too.” There was a comfortable silence and you closed your eyes. “Even though you’re a total douchebag.” 

You screamed and jammed your elbow into his chest. You crawled away. “Okay, Harrington,” you began to put your hair up, “the great wrestling match of 1973 has still not ended due to a fight when you refused to take the foul for purposely poking my eye.” 

Steve took his jacket off and flung it to the black abyss. “And I will not yield.” 

“Are we still playing for the last bag of Applehead Candy?” You stood up on your knees and readied yourself. 

“Yeah. Loser has to go buy a pack for the glorious winner.” He tapped his chest and mouthed, “This guy.” 

You gave Steve a grin that meant nothing but trouble. “3…2…1!” 

~*~

The boys watched as the two of you limped into the light, covered in dirt and light bruises. Your right eye was pink and watering. 

“What happened?” Mike gasped. 

Lucas waved his flashlight up and down your bodies. “Yeah, cause’ it looks like you’re about to die.” He turned to Dustin and smirked. “Explain this, Doctor.” 

Dustin looked around, trying to find an answer in everyone’s faces. “Um, as-okay, you see…lover’s quarrel?” he stumbled desperately. 

Steve flung an arm around you and smirked. “Wrestling.” He ruffled Dustin’s hat. “I won.” 

“Because you stabbed me in the eye _again!_ ” 

Steve crossed his arms and closed his eyes snobbily. “I have absolutely no fucking idea what you’re talking about. I don’t speak whiny bitch.” He doubled over when you punched him in the stomach, where you knew there was a bruise. 

You turned to the group. “Okay. For now I think we should stay together until we know what’s going on. Everyone is everywhere, so we’ll make my home our base.” 

Steve was skeptical. “All of their moms are going to be okay with this?” 

You scoffed. “As long as I call them. I’ve been the most trusted babysitter of these tykes since they were ten.” 

“Yeah, she lets us eat chocolate for dinner. It’s awesome,” Mike explained. 

Dustin excitedly hopped up and down. “Yeah, and one time we snuck into an R rate movie-“ 

Steve looked at you in horror. He pointed to the boys. “You’re the reason why they’re terrible.” 

“It’s the reason why we’re awesome,” Lucas corrected, giving you a fist bump. 

“Yeah, well…okay, we’re going to Dusty’s house.” Steve crouched down and snatched the dishtowel out of his backpack. When everyone stared at him, he shrugged in defense. “What? It obviously has a good purpose, so I brought it.” He wildly waved the towel at everyone’s face. “Believe me, one day you’re going to get in trouble and need a towel.” 

He tossed it to you and wiped your face. “Yeah, I’m pro towel.” You handed it back to Steve, who flipped it over to its clean side and rubbed his face clean. 

Dustin looked down and saw that mud was leaking into his shoe from his tumble. “Actually-” 

Steve flung the towel over his shoulder. “Nope. None for you.” He raised his eyebrows and pointed at the group. “Let this be a lesson for all of you little shits.” He turned and waved his hand. “Now come on. I want to get as far away from here as I possibly can.” 

Everyone began to walk to the car with the light of your flashlights being your only guide. You were on your way in when Steve took a gentle hold of your wrist. 

"Hey, what's up?" you asked cheerily. 

Instead of answering, Steve swept you into a sweet, chaste kiss. "Fuck you." 

A smile lit up your face. "Fuck you, too," you answered against his lips before you pulled him closer. 

“Okay,” Steve warned as everyone piled into the car, “if any of you muddy up the merchandise, shit will get real.” When Dustin, Mike, and Lucas giggled, Steve paused. “What’s so funny?” he asked suspiciously. “What’d you dickheads do?” 

Still giggling, Dustin pointed to the windshield. Steve’s gaze slowly followed Dustin’s finger. “Oh my God!” he shouted, smashing his fist on the horn, forcing everyone to shriek in protest, smacking their hands over their ears. 

“Why do we have to be punished?” Mike yelled. 

“Some are guilty, but all are responsible!” Steve shouted, taking his hand off the horn, only to smash it on and off again. “You’re such a fuckhead!” 

You reached over and wrenched Steve’s hand off the steering wheel. “Stop! It’s my fault! Don’t make them suffer.” 

Steve jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. “Yeah, but they laughed.” 

Dustin giggled. “Yeah. Cause’ it’s funny.” Steve punched the horn again, but you were quick enough to pull him off. 

You pointed to the dirt you smeared all over your side of the windshield. “I’ll wash it, okay? Can you just shut the fuck up?” 

“Can you do it without a shirt?” Mike joked in a deep voice, channeling middle aged men across America. 

“Hey!” Steve turned around and lightly smacked Mike upside the head. “Don’t talk like that!” He turned and loosened his shoulders. “Okay, let’s all shut up and let me drive.” 

To Steve’s shock and delight, the drive had been silent for five solid minutes. Right when he was being lulled into relaxation and thinking it was too good to be true, he heard giggling. 

His brown eyes flicked to the review mirror. “What are you laughing at?” 

Dustin was quick to answer. “Uh, nothing!” Lucas and Mike looked at him flatly. 

“Really?” Mike asked. 

Dustin slowly brought his hands up and shrugged. “I was pressed for time and under immense stress!” He looked at Mike. “I didn’t hear you say anything!” 

Before Steve could question them further, he felt movement. Looking down, he saw an arm with an Aladdin Sane lightning bolt tattoo sneaking over with a cassette in its hand. 

“No! No! No!” Steve smacked your hand with each ‘no.’ Everyone in the car booed. 

You sat back in your seat. “I don’t get it, man. How do you not like him?” 

“I _did_ like him until he basically became a real person in my life. Now he annoys the shit out of me and it is _your_ fault.” 

While Steve was on his blasphemous rampage, you had slipped in the cassette tape and hit play. 

“No!” Steve huffed, but he paused at the opening guitar solo. “Okay, so the static-y affect he uses on his voice is kinda rad, but otherwise, it’s lame.” 

“Scary monsters, super freaks! Running scared…” Dustin sang in a raspy voice, tapping his throat in an effort to replicate the auto tune affect. 

“Dude, this is basically our theme song,” Mike said, giving the driver’s seat a small kick. 

Steve opened one hand against the wheel. “Okay. I might like this song.” 

As you and Steve teased, traded insults, and physically assaulted each other, Dustin decided something. “I’m really glad they’re dating.” He looked at Mike and Lucas. “He was the biggest douchebag in the world and he still treated her nice and she always saw him as he actually was.” 

“What, not a douchebag?” 

Dustin nodded. “Exactly.” 

Lucas nodded. “Mr. Clark really was right.” They all turned and watched as Steve took your head and bonked it against your window. You kissed his hand and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. 

“Steve?” Lucas asked. 

“What?” 

“So are you the dad now?” 

Steve looked into his rearview mirror. “Yeah, sure. Whatever, kid.” Lucas shot him two finger guns and Steve snorted. “It’s your bedtime, sonny boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally something that is 100% mine. I hope I did okay ~~I hate it~~ I also made a [PLAYLIST](https://open.spotify.com/user/213ylnekos7uay75n5agg6d3q/playlist/20y1Cc2LnCXOpXCT0vbgFQ)  
>  of all the Bowie songs that have been featured for those that are curious One of them Hasn't been used yet and will be for the last chapter. ;) I am really stoked about the cover I did. Let me know if you listened and liked it <3
> 
> Also, if you thought I would write a fic without a reference to Amy Winehouse, you do not know me. Cupid started playing while I was writing this and I welled up because it's a very sweet song


	20. Scratches Down His Back

[](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)  


  


**Total sin at the end, but it's funny.**

“I got it! I got it! I got it!” Dustin panted as he burst through your front door. The little boy was wheezing as some of the candy he was cradling fell from his grasp. He walked over to the coffee table in your living room, leaving a trail of sweets behind him. “So I’m at the candy store,” he panted, “and I meticulously pick out every type of candy from each candy group to heighten our enjoyment.” He dumped the candy on the table, where it lay in a giant mound. He pointed. “Your hard candies, jellybeans, taffy, lollipops-” 

“What about M&M’s?” you asked from the couch. 

Dustin nodded. “Chocolate. Thanks, Dusty.” 

You stretched. You were lounging on top of Steve, resting your head on his chest while the rest of you lay between his legs. He knew how much you loved his heartbeat, and he was more than happy to let you be. Once he rested his back against the arm of the couch, he was good. 

Steve twirled his finger. “Keep it moving, buddy.” 

Dustin sped up. “Anyway, I also wanted to expand the pallet with different flavors, so I’m basically a candy scientist at this point.” 

“Who are you, Willy Wonka?” Mike joked, making Lucas laugh. 

Although he rolled his eyes, Dustin didn’t let the jeers bring him down. “So after all that work, I go to the cash register and find out that my pocket has a _hole_ in it! So I have to re-trace my steps and ride my bike back and forth until I find the money. Then I go all the way back and buy the candy that you see before you.” Dustin’s hands hovered over the sugary mountain. “I want each of you to appreciate what I’ve done, and savor the science behind these candy choices. Take in the flavor and the texture…” 

“These Sour Patch Kids are fucking good,” Steve mumbled, shoving a handful of the candies in his mouth. A red one missed its target and fell to the ground. “Oh, shit.” 

Dustin’s eyes dulled as his passion died. 

Mike tangled a gummy worm in front of your face. “I’m going to eat your brain!” You went to snatch it, but Mike expertly popped it into his mouth and chewed smugly. 

“Fine,” Dustin grumbled. “Give me a grape taffy.” 

“This is seriously cool as shit, Dustin,” you said. “You’re like a wine connoisseur. I can’t wait until you start drinking.” 

A shine took to all three of the boys’ eyes as they turned to you. 

“That is a hard _no,_ ” Steve said, pointing his finger at the group. “I know you’d all probably be alcoholics by the end of this night with her, but I’m here now and N-O spells, ‘no.’” He looked at the candy pile. “Gimme’ a lollipop.” 

Will was in the hospital, recovering from a successful…exorcism. You would be able to see him soon, but only family was allowed in his room, and it was better that way. 

Once you all knew your friend was okay, you could finally relax. Just as you predicted, a simple call to all of the mothers gave the boys the go ahead to stay. Everyone went home, showered, and put on a change of clothes before they packed their night things and headed your way. 

Except for Steve. 

When you were 7 and learned that each other’s rooms would become a second bedroom, you came up with a system that made Mrs. Harrington well up just from the utter cuteness of it all. The last door in your dresser had a white label with “STEVE’S DRAWER” written in blue crayon. 

“This is still the best fucking idea we’ve ever had,” Steve said, closing the drawer with his foot. He ran a hand through his wet hair. 

As the boys continued to debate about candy, you had escaped to your bedroom for a little bit of down time. 

“I will not argue with that.” You sat at the edge of your bed, watching a wild Steve in its semi-natural habitat. He _did_ have a drawer. 

Steve paused. “Strike that; reverse it.” He walked over and cupped your face. “I have this girl and she is just tootsweet,” he was laughing before he could finish the sentence. 

“You gonna make another movie candy reference or can we…?” You tapped your smiling lips. 

“What, these?” Steve pointed to his own. He pressed his forehead to yours. 

“Yeah,” you began to giggle at his playfulness. 

He leaned closer. “Yeah?” 

You looked up at him with hooded eyelids. You pulled him to you by the collar of his t-shirt. “Yeah,” you breathed before he kissed you the way you saw in old Hollywood movies. He was Richard Burton and you were Elizabeth Taylor as he put his hands in your hair. 

“I love you,” he breathed against you lips as he gently pressed his hand to your chest and slowly pushed you onto your bed. There was no snarky remark or insult, just roaming hands. 

You kissed him behind the ear as you ran your hand up his neck and smoothly weaved your fingers in his damp hair, making cool drops fall on your closed eyelids. You hooked your leg around his and pulled him closer. “I love you, too.” 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Steve said desperately, sitting up. “There’s a button with dudes and once you press it at a certain point, we can’t just un press it and it really, really, blows.” He was panting and his cheeks were flushed as he spoke. 

You sat up and kissed him. 

“Well, shit,” Steve said, shocked that you gave him the go ahead. He languidly slid up your body and stopped when your noses touched. “Ladies and…” he furrowed his brow. “No, one lady and no gentlemen. Anyway,” he gave you a half grin, “keep all hands inside the vehicle and buckle your seatbelts, because this is going to be a wild ride.” 

You let out a shriek of laughter, forcing Steve to slap a hand over your mouth. “Quiet!” he whispered. “There’s a whole room of kids down there who could very easily discover that mom and dad are going to get their freak on.” He looked over his shoulder and you both listened. 

“No way!” Mike shouted. “He’s strong, but no one can punch through a brick wall!” 

“Have you even _seen_ Way of the Dragon?” Lucas demanded. “Dude’s a beast!” 

Steve started to giggle and quickly had to press his face into your shoulder so that he didn’t break into roaring laughter. “Do you know what they’re talking about?” 

She shook her head. “Not in the slightest.” 

Steve was about to tell you, but he snorted. Taking a deep breath, he said, “They’re fighting about whether Bruce Lee could punch a hole through a brick wall or not.” 

You scrunched your nose and laughed as quietly as you could. It only made you sound like a giggling snake and go as red as a beat. 

Steve turned his attention back to you. “I think Bruce Lee is going to keep them occupied for a bit.” He nipped at the sensitive skin behind your ear as he began to unbutton your shirt. You leaned up and brought his head down, allowing you to breathe in his hair as he slipped it off. The cold air gave you goose bumps and you shivered. That’s when it fully registered. 

You were going to have sex with Steve Harrington. _Your_ Steve. 

He ran his warm hands languidly down your sides as he traced your collarbone with kisses. He leaned over when he saw that you were clawing at his shirt, freeing his arm. Right when your fingers touched the soft fabric, Steve pulled away. “What is that?” 

“Nothing!” you said hurriedly, crossing your arms. 

Steve scoffed. “Yeah, you’re totally not hiding something.” With a pained expression, you watched as Steve moved your arms. A simple black lined tattoo sat on the left side of your ribcage, right where your bra band hid so expertly. 

4/06/69

Steve tilted his head and his brow knitted together. “Four, six, sixty-nine?” he read. He looked at you. “What does that mean?” 

“Absolutely nothing. Hey, check it out!” You pointed to your chest. “Boobs!” 

Steve waved you away. “Boobs can wait. What is this?” 

You pressed the heal of your hands to your eyes. “Okay…” you let out a defeated sigh. “April 6th, 1969, the day when you and your mom came to our door because you found my Lamb-y in the park and you wanted to give it back to me.” You looked away in embarrassment. “It was the first time I met you and it just meant a lot. I got it in a place I never thought you’d see. Obviously, I was wrong.” 

Steve looked at you with a loving look of bewilderment. He was slowly shaking his head when he spoke. “You don’t get it traffic cone head. I’ve had these…nice feelings for fucking ever.” He scrunched his face and looked blankly at the sheets as he thought. “What the hell do they say in cards? Warm feelings?” He rolled his eyes. “Nice warm feelings,” he decided with an amused raised eyebrow. He tapped your tattoo with his pointer finger. “So this is awesome.” 

You reached up with glazed eyes and brought his face down, allowing your lips to touch. This time, you were able to grab the hem of his shirt. More than happy to let you rip his clothes off, Steve raised his arms above his head and let the fabric slip over his head in one fluid motion. 

You weren’t sure which one of you gasped when your bare skin touched for the first time. It was searing hot and sparks flew as hands roamed. 

“Damn, son,” you murmured, gently dragging your fingertips down Steve’s chest. You leaned up and bit at the crook of Steve’s neck, making him let out a low groan. 

“Shut up,” he said immediately, knowing that you were going to mock his moment of weakness. He took hold of your wrist and sat up, taking you with him. Both on your knees and skin whispering against each other with each breath, he slipped his hand to your back. “I can’t do much,” Steve explained, “but I can take off a bra like a champion.” With a smug smile, he unhooked the blasted device with one hand with only a flick of his wrist. 

“Remember to use your powers for good,” you poked, taking the piece of clothing and dropping it to the floor. 

Steve’s eyebrows disappeared into his hair as he stared. He cleared his throat. “Christ.” 

You looked down. “They’re just tits. Get a grip!” 

Steve’s expression had not relaxed. He ran a hand through his hair and a rosy hue dusted his cheeks. “Yeah, but they’re _your_ tits.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re like…a fucking a girl.” 

You smacked him in the chest. “What does that mean!?” 

Steve put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. “I mean, I know you’re a girl, but you’re Dusty. Not a…girl, girl.” 

“Oh, well then.” You went to grab your bra when a hand took a firm grip of your wrist. A sly smile danced on your lips as you turned your fiery eyes. 

Steve put on a professional air. “No hold on, hold on.” He nodded his head with a deep, thoughtful pout. “I think I can adapt. Just…just give me a moment.” He brushed a strand of hair behind your ear and looked at you in a way that made your heart stop. His hands were warm as he pushed you back onto the bed – kneading, nipping, and kissing. 

You raised your head, your breath coming out in short bursts. "Get that bullshit off.” You reached down and fumbled with his waistband. 

“Jesus, have you not done this before?” 

When you were finally able to finally get the blasted fabric down to his thighs, he gave you a sinful smirk. “Alright. Show time.” 

The kisses started behind your ear. You let out a small gasp when he moved on to the neglected area behind your ear. 

As his lips traveled down your neck, you ghosted your fingertips across his chest, before sliding down to his abs, very pleased at what you were finding. Just when you were going to claim your prize, Steve smacked your hand. You immediately pulled back. 

“Hands off the merchandise, girlie,” Steve grinned against your skin. He had made it to your hip and looking at you in utter amusement. 

“Dude, what the fuck? I was going to give you a hand job!” It was hard to look mad when you wanted to fuck his brains out. 

“I know what I’m doing, Dusty. Just,” he gave a small bite to your hips and left a soft kiss in apology, “trust,” by now you were squirming as the bastard’s mouth touched your inner thigh, “me.” He slid you underwear off. 

Steve Harrington had been your best friend since you 4 years old. He found your favorite stuffed animal and returned it you. He had poked you in the eye in a wrestling match in 1979. He had been afraid of going under bridges for years and his favorite thing to do was anything in a sandbox. Steve was also the best man who could go down on you not only in the universe, but in the past, present, and future. 

You had a lot of pride and refused to moan. Your signs of utter bliss were in your body language, and you were currently hitting the bed with your fist and biting your knuckle so you wouldn’t scream. There were three boys downstairs who were now talking about the believability of Zombies. 

As Steve was lapping you up in the most expert way, you reached down and grabbed his perfect hair, tugging and scratching, doing anything that could make him feel even a little good as he sent you over them moon. 

“Okay, fuck this,” you whimpered, sliding back. Steve looked confused for only a moment before you pulled him and gave him a sloppy kiss. 

“Whoa, there tiger,” Steve chuckled. “What’s got you all worked up?” 

You wrenched his boxers off and flipped him over. “You.” 

Steve’s chest was heaving as he ran his hands up and down your sides. “Do you have stuff?” 

You reached over to your side table and flung open the door. You tossed Steve a condom and he ripped it open with his teeth. 

With your foreheads touching, you slowly slid down onto his lap. Both of you let out shuttered breaths, it warmed your lips. 

Steve’s eyes were closed. “Don’t move,” he said, his voice shaking. 

“Okay,” you answered, not above a whisper. “Don’t want to be that two second kind of guy?” You didn’t know why you were teasing when you were ready to explode. 

Steve held up a hand. “Shut up,” he said. His voice cracked. “Just shut…up.” After a few deep breaths, he nodded. “Alright. I’m good.” 

“Are you sure?” Your long hair framed his face and he couldn’t help but play with it. You squeaked when Steve rolled his hips. Then, you were moving. 

Many might think it weird to have sex with your childhood best friend; but this was more than that. Your relationship was strong. You had meant and knew everything about each other since you were small. Relationships grow, and people saw that your significant other is supposed to be your best friend. Not many people could have sex with someone who thought the rock he had given to you at 6 was a diamond whisper sweet nothings into their ear. 

It just _felt so good._

You bit into his shoulder when he angled his hips. 

“Fuck,” Steve swore when you ground your hips in just the right place. He ripped you down and kissed you like your lives depended on it. Hair was pulled and skin was turning red from love bites. By the time both of you had finished you were a sweaty mess. 

You rolled off of Steve and stared at the ceiling, waiting to catch your breath. When you felt movement, you turned. 

Steve was leaning over the bed. A moment later, he rolled onto his back and slid his sunglasses on. He crossed his arms behind his head and turned to you with the most obnoxious grin on his face. “I am one smooth guy.” 

You smacked him in the chest, only to be pulled into a loving hug. 

While you were winding down, the boys had flicked on the TV and were stuffing their faces with candy. They turned all of the lights off and slipped Poltergeist into the tape player. Their faces were lit with only the glow from the television. 

“You know these are good movies if we still think they’re scary,” Mike said as the opening came onto the screen. 

“Absolutely,” Dustin agreed through a mouthful of chocolate. “It’s all about storytelling and its execution.” 

Lucas looked over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t we wait for Dusty and Steve?” 

Dustin shook his head. “No. We won’t see them for a while.” He rolled up a piece of taffy and put it in his mouth. “I think they’re doing it.” He looked at his friends. “It’s the natural next step.” 

The kids shouted in disgust. Mike even spit out his M&Ms. 

Dustin shook his head. “Grow up.” 

“That’s scarier than anything,” Lucas whispered. 

Mike wrinkled his nose. “Ew.” 

The focused their attention on the terrifying horror movie, looking for something to comfort them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took me three days and I really didn't want to write smut, but it was requested by a very loyal reader on wattpad, and I have to give the people ~~i like~~ what they want. Those I talk to mean a lot to me. I'm sorry if this may have disappointed you. I am more of a poetic than erotic when it comes to sex scenes.


	21. Queen Bitch

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“Take those sunglasses off, spit out that gum, put the girl down, and wipe that damn smirk off your face, Steve Harrington!” Mr. Olsen ordered, his bald patch going red as he snapped at another insufferable youth. 

Steve pulled you closer and slid his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose. He shot the fuming teacher a wide mouth, sly grin. His teeth gleamed as he smacked his gum. “I don’t know what girl you’re talking about.” The rest of the class snickered. 

Mr. Olsen shoved his finger at the door. “I want both of you out of my classroom, _now!_ “ 

Before he realized he had given you a gift, you got off of Steve’s lap and bolted out the door. 

Steve picked you up by the armpits and propped you against the lockers. He hooked his arms under your knees, supporting you with his hips. He put his grinning face in yours. 

“So, what do you want to do today?” he asked. He took his glasses off and put them on you before he buried his face in the crook of your neck, assaulting you with a barrage of goofy kisses. The school’s tolerance of PDA was something Steve never got around to reading. 

“Well, we can start by busting Dustin out of school. He has a class right by one of the back exits in the middle school and if we’re quick enough, we won’t get caught.” 

“You don’t want to get the other snot rags?” 

“Of course I do! But Dustin is the only one I know we can get.” 

Steve took the glasses from you and sighed. “Okay, but playing favorites is a dangerous game.” He put his sunglasses back on and kissed your lips. “Let’s bounce.” 

You were about to reply when someone at the end of the hall caught your eye. Your face lit up. “Poor Boy!” You smiled as you pushed Steve away. 

Steve’s expression immediately soured at the nickname. 

A tall, dark haired boy wearing a bright yellow military jacket over a white V neck T shirt stood at the end of the hallway. He turned at the sound of your voice and immediately smiled at the sight of you. You hopped up and he caught you in a tight hug. When he pulled back and pressed his forehead to yours, Steve was fuming. 

“Chiping around – kick my brains on the floor,” the guy sang in an amazing high note. “These are the days that it never rains but it pours.” 

You bounced as you sang, but kept your feet on the ground. “It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about,” you sang back. “Watching some good friends screaming-“ 

“Let it out!” you both rehearsed at time. 

The guy closed his eyes and raised his hand, hovering it above his head. “Pray tomorrow, gets me high, higher, higher –“ 

“Pressure on people, people on the streets.” 

There was a dramatic silence before you both softly tilled, “Turned it all away, like a blind man. Sat on a fence, but it don’t work.” 

“Keep coming up with love, but it’s so slashed and torn-” you began, but Steve had enough. 

“Okay! Okay!” he barged between you, putting a hand on each of your chests and pushing you apart. He looked at the guy in the canary yellow jacket. “Okay, who’s this asshole and why is he all handsy while performing a flash duet with my girlfriend?” 

You shoved Steve’s hand away. “When you were parading around with those douche canoes, I branched out and made another friend.” You held out your hand to the mystery man. “This is Joseph. He is obsessed with Queen, hence the Freddie Mercury-esque attire.” You gestured at Joseph’s outfit. “The nickname is a play on a lyric from Bohemian Rhapsody. As for the duet, I think it’s self-explanatory. Bowie and Mercury revered each other.” 

Steve looked away and snorted. Under Pressure was a duet sung by Queen and David Bowie. 

Joseph’s eyes had widened at Steve’s words. “Holy shit. You guys are dating?” 

Steve jabbed his hand out to Joseph. “So why does weird guy get to know who I am, but this is the first I hear about this yellow dude?” 

You crossed your arms. “You did meet him. You were just too busy being King Steve to remember or care.” At that, Steve was silent. 

Joseph looked at you. “Wait, he doesn’t know?” 

Steve immediately perked up. “Know what?” he asked, looking at you suspiciously. 

You pushed Joseph. “Why would you open your mouth? What is the need?” You huffed, overwhelmed. “Leave.” 

“Uh-okay.” Joseph took a step down the hall. “Bye, I guess.” Soon you were left with a very irritated Steve. 

He had his hands on his hips. “What the fuck is he talking about?” he asked sharply. 

You looked at the ground, trying to hide the pain on your face. “We were almost a thing. It was pretty close." 

Steve’s eyebrows shot up. “What is ‘pretty close?” 

You opened your mouth and closed it. “Right before _we_ became a thing.” 

_What?_ ” Steve exclaimed, his eyes practically falling out of their sockets. He held up a finger and took a step towards you. “You’re telling me that right before you kissed me in the junkyard, you were about to stick your tongue down that dickhead’s throat?” 

You scowled and met him halfway. “Hey, I wasn’t with you and you hadn’t made the slightest move! I didn’t owe you anything.” You threw your hand in Joseph’s direction. “I didn’t even give him an answer!” 

Steve ran an angry hand through his hair. He began to shout, “I’m not the guy you just fall back on, okay? I’m done with that!” He looked at the ground and smiled humorlessly. His next words were soft. “You know, it’s one thing to lie and fuck over your boyfriend,” he held up a finger, “but not your best friend of 13 years.” 

“Stevie,” you whimpered, your voice cracking. 

Steve laughed. “Do not…do not fucking do that.” He threw his hands up and began to slowly walk backwards. “You know, what? _Fuck_ this. Fuck this. Fuck you. Fuck that asshole. I don’t care. Go worship your rock stars, because they’re clearly the only people you care about. Have fun with Nance and all that Snow Ball planning shit. You two seem to have a lot in common. I’m out.” He turned around and stormed out of the school. 

“Steve,” you called meekly, but the love of your life ignored you. You were pretty sure you heard a sniffle. You buried your face in your hands. 

Steve stormed out into the cold morning, his eyes glistening. He tried as hard as he could to not act like a little bitch, but he just didn’t have it in him. He ripped open the back seat door of his car and jumped in. Slamming the door shut, Steve flung himself down on the back seat and let the tears flow. He didn’t make a sound or hyperventilate, he just stared at the ceiling and occasionally wiped his nose. 

Dusty, his best friend who he could trust in-explicitly, the girl who nursed him through his breakup and gave him a Band Aid when he first learned how to ride his bike, went behind his back and he had no one to talk to about it. 

As he lay in his car, too drained to turn the heat on, Steve decided that he never wanted to see you again. 

~*~

Nancy was sitting in her organic chemistry class when she heard a familiar voice reverberate from the halls. She quickly looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed yet. She raised her hand. 

The teacher turned away from the chalkboard. “Yes, Nancy?” she asked. 

Nancy shifted in her seat. “Can I go to the bathroom?” 

The teacher nodded. “Just be quick about it.” 

Nancy smiled anxiously and grabbed her books. She opened the door and looked down the hallway. “Steve?” she called, only to be met with silence. She quickly walked down the deserted hallway and took a left. “Steve?” she tried again. This time, she heard small whimpers. Turning a corner, she saw a mane of neon orange hair “Dusty?” she asked in disbelief before she ran over to you. 

You looked up to see the sweet girl running to a stop in front of you. You hid your face as she knelt down, not wanting Nancy Wheeler to see that your cheeks were wet. You wiped your eyes. “It’s fine, Nancy,” you assured thickly. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Did Steve do this?” She put a hand on your shoulder and you couldn’t help but look up. “I heard him yelling.” You met her pretty eyes and nodded. Nancy’s jaw set and she sat down. “That _asshole!_ ” she swore, looking off to the side. 

You blinked. “I’m’ sorry?” 

Nancy huffed, her cheeks flushed with irritation. “Did you know that I was a little jealous of you while we were dating?” She smiled small-y. “Not in a resentful way. I’ve always thought you were…cool.” 

You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and laughed. “Thanks, Nancy…but why?” 

Nancy began to play with her shoelaces. “Well, I knew that that no matter how much he loved me, he would love you more. I mean, you’ve known each other sense you were kids and went through everything together.” She shrugged. “I just knew that if both of us were dangling off a cliff and he only had one choice, he would save you.” Her eyes flicked up to yours. “So whatever he just did is really, really stupid if he made you cry.” 

You licked your lips and looked at the ceiling. “You know Joseph?” 

Nancy furrowed her brow as she thought. “The Freddie Mercury wannabe?” 

“Yeah. Steve found out I hung out with him a lot before we got together.” 

Nancy raised an eyebrow. “So?” It was silent for a moment before she scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Idiot.” She put her bag over her shoulder. “Do you know where he is?” 

Your eyes were no longer puffy and you weren’t plagued with sniffles. “He went outside.” 

Nancy looked at the door. “Okay. Let’s go wait at Jonathan’s car and we can start planning the Snow Ball.” 

You smiled tiredly. “Okay. Let’s go to my house. My parents just got back and I think they’re too tired to harass us.” 

Nancy nodded. “Okay.” 

“Thank you, Nancy.” 

~*~

Mrs. Harrington jumped, almost dropping the plate she was washing as her son barged through the front door. “Steve! You’re home early.” 

“Yeah, well, today sucked asshole,” Steve snapped, whipping open one of the kitchen drawers open, he pulled out a pack of Menthols. 

“You know how your dad feels about you smoking,” his mom warned, putting the dish in the drying wrack. 

Steve snorted and held a cigarette between his teeth. “And dad _is_ an asshole.” He flipped his lighter open and lit the end before he strode out of the kitchen in a cloud of smoke. 

As a mom, Mrs. Harrington couldn’t help but notice that her son’s eyes looked red. She leaned over, trying to see out the window, but the driveway was empty. Steve had come home alone. She immediately grabbed the phone and dialed a number that had worn down the buttons with the amount of time she had called it. It only rang twice before it answered. 

“Hello?” your mother answered. 

“Hi, how are you?” 

“Worried.” 

Mrs. Harrington laughed. “Is Dusty home?” 

“She’s here with a friend, but she isn’t doing well,” your mom answered. “What about Steve?” 

Mrs. Harrington looked over her shoulder and anxiously held the phone cord in her hand. “His eyes are red. It looks like he’s been crying and he gave me really bad attitude. I called because, well…Dusty isn’t here.” 

Your mom’s voice had lowered. “It’s the same on my end. She’s uncharacteristically quiet and looks depressed. I was waiting for Steve to walk into the door at any second to see if she was okay, but it’s been half an hour. One of them would have left school with the other.” 

Mrs. Harrington was quiet for a moment. “Do you think…they had a fight?” 

A small, sharp intake of breath came from the other line. “No,” your mom assured. “Could they?” 

“I guess anything’s possible,” Mrs. Harrington said quietly. 

Upstairs, Steve was sitting on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and chain smoking. The ashes burned his lungs as he inhaled. He imagined that his lungs caught on fire as he snuffed the butt out in an ashtray and lit another. 

God, you were such fucking bitch. Such-a-fucking-bitch and he loved you _so_ much. He truly hated you for it. You were his partner in crime for his entire life and the only one he completely trusted. There was no way you would hurt him. But you did. 

You were just like Nancy. He was the fallback guy. He was the number 2 guy. If he knew you wouldn’t be disappointed in him, he would have kicked Jonathan and Joseph’s asses for all of their emotional manipulation. 

You were the absolute love of Steve Harrington’s life and the biggest bitch in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  
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> [](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)  
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> I'm sorry If this is bad. I wrote this non consecutively over two days because I have the NASTIEST cold. I've been having fever dreams and everything. 


	22. Long He Reign

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


Nancy spread swatches of fabric and streamers across your living room floor. “I know it’s so corny and stupid but…silver, blue, and white for the snow ball?” She looked up and you held her gaze for several seconds before you both laughed. 

You reached over and grabbed a patch of yellow tablecloth. “And this for yellow snow.” 

Nancy winced as she giggled. “That’s so gross!” 

You put the yellow cloth back. “I’m just trying to change it up here, Nancy.” 

Nancy was quiet for a moment as she stared at the ground before a small smile danced on her lips. “Maybe…we can sneak a little in.” She held up a hand. “But only in a corner and just as an inside joke. I don’t need to get in trouble.” 

You pulled the yellow streamer back. “Best damn Snowball this side of the Rio Grand,” you said, doing your best to sound like a Texas cowboy. When Nancy let out a tiny laugh and shook her head, you were confused. “What?” 

“You’re _exactly_ like him. _Exactly._ ” 

You began to play with a streamer, knowing exactly who she was talking about but not wanting to breach the subject. “You sound a bit crazy, Nancy.” You held up a light a light, powdered blue fabric square. “What do you think about this as tablecloths?” 

“You know I’m talking about Stephen and you know I’m right.” 

She was absolutely right, except for one thing. “But I’m not cruel. I don’t become jealous just because he made a friend.” 

“What he did was wrong and he was a total asshole, but you also weren’t in love with him since you just learned how to walk.” 

You raised your eyebrows, shocked at what you were hearing. “So you’re on his side?” 

Nancy shook her head. “No! Like I said, he’s acting like an asshole, just…remember he would probably kill someone for you.” 

“Hopefully that means he’ll stay out of my life. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to walk around school and look at him. It will make me absolutely sick. King Steve wasn’t a faze; it was a brief moment of truth.” 

You were too invested in your rant about Steve to see Nancy drying her eyes with the back of her hand. 

~*~

Steve was staring out his window, smoking like a chimney and wondering what you were doing, where you were, and _who_ you were with. Part of it was because he was paranoid about you being hurt. He also just liked it when you were in his thoughts, which was how he always felt when you were out of eyesight. Now he just wanted to know how you were currently stabbing him in the back. He put the cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply. _Nancy Wheeler is a slut._ Steve exhaled, leaving a cloud of smoke swirling around his head. Boy, had he written the wrong name. “Catching you when you fall my ass.” He breathed in the sweet nicotine and chemicals. “Gonna push you off that cliff.” He flicked his lighter shut with a smooth flick of his wrist. 

His plan to brood for the rest of his life was interrupted when he saw a certain little boy with curly hair and a red, white, and blue baseball cap ride his bike down his driveway. 

“The fuck are you doing here, shit head?” Steve murmured. He turned when he heard the rapid pounding of footsteps running up the stairs. He lit another cigarette as his bedroom door burst open. “Have you ever heard of knocking?” 

Dustin immediately began to cough. “Don’t you know that you are 20 times more likely to get lung cancer with those?” Dustin reached forward and snatched the cigarette from Steve’s mouth. “You’re literally smoking toxins.” 

“Then I’m more likely to get into the Make a Wish foundation, nerd,” Steve countered irritably, watching Dustin put the cigarette out in the ashtray. “Get to make out with Julie Newmar while she’s dressed as Catwoman.” 

Dustin grimaced. “First of all, that is a total waste of a wish. Second, you shouldn’t be making out with anyone when you have a girlfriend.” Steve chuckled humorlessly and grabbed another cigarette. 

“Oh, I don’t have a girlfriend.” His grin disappeared when Dustin threw the pack of Menthols out the window and ripped the cigarette from Steve’s teeth before stomping it out. “What the fuck, you little shit!? You’re paying for those!” 

“Yeah, and you’re paying for being a total douchebag!” He pointed out the window. “I just went over to Dusty’s house because I really wanted a Hot Pocket and Nancy’s trying to keep her together!” 

Steve paused. “You went to Dusty’s house for a Hot Pocket?” 

“My mom won’t buy them because she says they’ll burn the roof of my mouth and Dusty always has some.” Dustin threw his hands in the air. “This isn’t about Hot Pockets!” 

Steve looked away. “It might be. Now I want a Hot Pocket,” he mumbled. 

Dustin held out his hands. “Okay, look. You know how in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Dax is obsessed with the Queen even though Worf is in love with her? And he just has to sit there and watch until fate brings them together?” 

Steve stared at Dustin."Uh, _no._ ” he finally said, looking at the kid as if he was the biggest idiot in the world. 

Dustin rolled his eyes. “Nevertheless. Basically, it’s a story of never giving up on those you love and it will all work out.” 

Steve threw himself on his bed and crossed his arms behind his head. “Except Wolf was an alien or something and Dusty is just a giant bitch.” 

Dustin narrowed his eyes. “First of all, it’s _Warf._ Second, _you’re_ being a complete douche…nozzle!” 

Steve snapped his fingers. “Hey! Watch that mouth!” Steve crossed his ankles. “Although I’m not really sure if that’s a swear.” 

Dustin threw his hat down and stomped his foot. Steve looked up. “No! You can’t say stuff like that anymore! You’re not the party dad!” 

Steve sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He put a finger to his chest. “Hey, I earned the privilege of keeping you shitheads in line and if you think you’re just gonna-” 

“And you lost it as soon as you hurt a member of the party!” 

Steve pointed to the door, matching Dustin’s slightly raised voice. “Hey, _I_ wasn’t the one running around with other guys the second before I was dating. _I_ wasn’t the one laying me out on re-bound land.” 

“I thought you knew her better than that,” Dustin said, heading for the door. “I would never do this to Mike, Will, or Lucas. We can’t see you until this is straightened out. Party rules.” He shut the door. 

Steve snorted. “’Party rules,’” Steve mocked under his breath. “Like I care.” 

~*~

It wasn’t until you stopped being friends with Steve did you realize that he was your only one. Life had become bleak without your other half. The hallways had lost their color and you couldn’t hear a word your teachers were saying. You hadn’t even smiled. 

It seemed as if the whole school knew about your breakup, and that was because they did. You were too wrapped up in grief to see the looks of sympathy from the students _and_ the teachers. Your phone had been ringing off the hook for the past week and your poor mother was glued to the thing. Finally, she just let it sit on the counter. 

All of your teachers had called your house. They had all noticed a sudden drop in your work ethic and the sudden drop of Steve Harrington. While they were incredibly concerned with your academic standing, seeing the couple of the Hawkins’ school system part ways was truly heartbreaking, even for them. 

Keeping your head down, you weaved through the crowd of students, hoping to god that you would be able to get through the day and finally make it to the weekend, when you could quarantine yourself from everyone. You glanced upward and saw a familiar mop of brown hair. Your chest immediately tightened. Before you could bolt, there was a loud crash and everybody scattered. 

Curious to see the show, you pushed your way through. What you saw made your breath hitch. 

Steve had a little freshman jammed against his locker with his shoulder. The tears had already begun to fall on the poor boy’s face as he tried to squirm out of Steve’s hold. 

“Whoa, there, buddy,” Steve said playfully. His voice pierced your heart like daggers; that was how he talked to you when you were goofing around, now he was taunting a victim. “I want to show you something. Lift your foot up and take out your laces.” 

“But I can’t reach them when you’re holding me like this,” the boy whimpered, his cheeks flushed red. 

Steve shoved him again. “Well, figure it out!” When the poor thing finally got the string, he handed it to Steve. “Alright,” Steve said with a grin. “I like to call this Mr. Flamingo.” 

When you realized that Steve was going to tie the kid’s ankle to his wrist, you finally had enough. 

“What _the fuck_ are you doing Steve!?” you demanded, your face marred in pure fury. The freshman took advantage of the distraction and bolted. You shoved Steve by his shoulders. “So what, we end and you go back to being king prick of school?” Steve only smirked, silently watching your rampage. You pushed him again and his head bounced against the lockers, but he still kept his cool. “No one in here is impressed.” 

Your voice softened and you stepped forward, placing your lips next to his ear. “You protected over a pack of kids against monsters and kept them alive.” You stepped back and placed your forehead against his. “Why won’t you just listen to me? Why don’t you trust me? _Me?_ ” Your eyes widened when Steve gently took your chin and turned your face to him. 

You gazed into his deep brown eyes as you’d done so many times while he whispered, “Whore.” 

You gasped and stumbled backwards. Luckily, someone was there to catch you. You wordlessly watched as King Steve sauntered to his next class, taking your heart and soul with him. 

“Do you want me to go…punch him?” Jonathan asked you softly and awkwardly, putting you back on your feet. 

Nancy hadn’t taken her eyes off of where Steve had left. “He didn’t mean it.” She tightened her grip on her books. “Do you want to-?” She looked at the doors. 

You nodded your head. “Yeah.” You had yet to shed a single tear. Rather than break down when your best friend called you a whore, you had gone into a state of shock. It still didn’t compute. But it would, and you weren’t looking forward to it. But for now, you were going to take advantage of your body’s first choice of coping. 

Jonathan was a little more apprehensive. “Okay.” 

The breakdown occurred while you were in the movie theater and watching Christine, a story about a sentient car getting her revenge. Luckily, the audience thought your sobs were part of the movie, so it worked out in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)  
>   
> 
> 
>   
>  On another note, I actually made a [tumblr page](https://onthebench83.tumblr.com/) just so I could interact with all of you. A lot of these comments turn into conversations. The threads just get really long and I thought it would be much easier. Just know that I am truly a bitter, cynical, snarky, sweary person in real life.
> 
> Also let me know if it's you!


	23. Star Crossed

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


You were sitting on the floor in your room. The only light was the soft glow of the Christmas lights you had hung around the corners of your ceiling. You were blasting a David Bowie song you didn’t like. Yes, they did exist. When a musician had 20 something albums, one was bound to dislike one or two. However, tonight was an exception. 

You were angry. _Furious._ Your hands had not unclenched themselves all through Sunday and it wouldn’t surprise you if they froze as fists. The only angry song by Bowie was, ‘Look Back in Anger.’ The lyrics were gorgeous, but you hated the melody. Still, it was the only choice. 

_"You know who I am,” he said_

_The speaker was an angel_

_He coughed and shook his crumpled wings_

_Closed his eyes and moved his lips_

_"It's time we should be going" ___

____It was the death of one of his eras, much like yours. Even the angel that was supposed to lead you to the other side was exhausted and in pain._ _ _ _

______At the lyrics, you grabbed the newest issue of Rolling Stone and hurled it at your wall with a furious cry. The magazine bounced off the wall as you pulled your knees to your chest and buried your face in them, hugging yourself. You were going to stay curled up for the rest of eternity when you heard a knock on your window. Your gut clenched when you saw Steve crouching on your roof and looking away, his face marred with disgust. __“What do you want?” you demanded. Your voice was surprisingly strong._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__

__

__“To get my shit back. Now just open the fucking window!”_ _

__He was talking about his drawer. Your eyes wandered over to the blue crayon label and your heart broke. It was one thing for Steve to call you a whore and fall back to his bullying days, but taking away your childhood? The bullet through your heart almost made you collapse._ _

__You mechanically walked forward and released the locks. Cold air swooped into your room as Steve wrenched your window open._ _

__He slid into your room, expertly dodging anything that could make a sound loud enough to wake your parents. “Christ, about time.” He looked over your room with disdain. With a hand on his hip and a smirk, he shook his head. “I actually thought this was cute.” He rolled his head onto his shoulder and met your eye. “Finally woke up and saw the pathetic girl clamping down on some famous dude because she couldn’t have any real friends.”_ _

__“You were my friend.”_ _

__Steve knelt down and opened his drawer. He shot you a grin. “Not a real one.”_ _

__That was the final straw. “You know what, Steve? You can go back to being the king and live in your shallow little world. Go back to your minions, let them stroke your ego, because that’s all they’ll do.” Steve had slowly begun to stand up as you spoke. His face had lost its smug expression as he listened. “No one is going to care about you, least of all me.” You tapped your chest. “You’ll get nothing. I won’t confront you, look at you, step in on anybody’s behalf, or try to win you back. I will _not_ give you the satisfaction.” _ _

__Steve looked a little panicked as you strode over to him with fire in your eyes. King or not, he didn’t like mad Dusty. When you were but a hair’s breath away, you looked up and stabbed your finger against his forehead. “But _never_ say that we were nothing. We were _everything._ ” You slipped your shirt off and shoved it into Steve’s hands. “Take your shirt back.” _ _

__Steve did his best not to ogle every inch of your bra and upper naked body._ _

__“Wait,” he said reaching forward before you smacked his hand away and covered your chest. “There was something there.” He ripped your arm away and stared at your rib cage. There was a large black bandage covering your tattoo. Slowly, he took it off._ _

__The air immediately changed as Steve’s eyes fell on your skin. His face softened and his brown eyes clouded with sadness. “What is that?” he asked softly._ _

__“The pierced heart.” You looked at the inflamed line work. It had just been done that morning. “It’s the symbol of the Blessed Mother. It represents the sorrow she suffered.” The tattoo was simple. It was a heart pierced vertically by a sword done in black and grey. Your favorite part was the crosshatch shading._ _

__Steve leaned forward as he inspected your tattoo. His eyes flicked upward. “You covered the other one?”_ _

__You snorted. “Of course I covered it! Why would you care?”_ _

__Steve stepped back and stood up. “I don’t,” he said coolly._ _

__You did your best to ignore him as he went through his drawer. Finally, you heard it slam shut._ _

__“Time is up, girlie.” Steve opened the window. “Fuck you.”_ _

__“Fuck you too.” You both froze, realizing that you had fallen back into an endearing ritual. Steve decided to ignore it and disappeared into the night._ _

__As Steve walked across your lawn, he turned. You had shut your Christmas lights off and your room was pitch black. Did he do that?_ _

__Whatever. You weren’t his problem anymore._ _

__Tossing his cloths in the back of his car, he slid into the front seat. He immediately jammed his keys into the ignition. His breath had been dancing in the air and he’d be damned if he’d spend another second in the cold._ _

__As Steve waited for the heat to kick in, he placed his hands on the steering wheel. With a frustrated growl, he began to violently shake it._ _

__“Fucking _bitch!_ ” Steve snarled. “Fucking backstabbing, lying, manipulative, slutty _bitch!_ ” Chest heaving, he rested his forehead on the steering wheel and turned to your house. You had actually spent money for someone to cover up the tattoo commemorating the day you met. Tattoos hurt, and the rib cage was one of the worst areas to get ink. It was rather stupid, but only now did Steve realize just how much he had hurt you. _ _

__But you hurt him too, and you refused to see it. Steve was being completely honest when he verbally degraded you, but he regretted it the second it fell from his lips. Things wouldn’t be the same. _You_ weren’t the same. That’s why Steve was having a complete meltdown. Losing his confidant and the one person who respected him and never dragged him along was like tossing him into the pits of hell. He wasn’t one to cry or lock himself in his room during meltdowns, so he did the one thing he was good at, _ _

__being an asshole._ _

__His eyes were shining as he stared at your dark room. He stayed like that for several minutes, giving himself some time to calm down. Finally, he put the car in drive. With a final look at your window, Steve drove off just as sad, angry, and helpless as you._ _

__~*~_ _

____

____

Mike smacked the giant paper on the table. He looked at his friends. “Okay, ‘Operation Parent Trap’ has officially started.” 

“Wouldn’t it have to be Parent Trap 2 or something?” Lucas asked from his backwards chair. “I mean, there’s already a movie.” 

Mike let out an irritated sigh and rolled his eyes. “Fine. ‘Operation Parent Trap 2’ has officially started. Are you happy?” 

Lucas smiled. “Yeah.” 

On the table was a large map they had drawn with blue crayon. It showed a large room with multiple round circles and long rectangles at the side. 

“Okay, so these are all the tables where everyone eats.” Mike tapped the circles. “And this is the end table with all of the food and junk.” 

“ _Junk?_ ” Dustin asked in disbelief. “The delicacies of school functions are the only good part!” 

Lucas shot Dustin a look. “How would you know? Ever been to one?” 

Dustin rolled his eyes. “No. But if you have a party, there’s going to be food and it’s going to be really unhealthy.” 

“Do you think they’ll have Cheeto’s?” Mike’s eyes widened at the thought of processed cheese. 

Lucas threw up a hand and let it limply fall back on the table. “Now I want Cheeto’s!” 

Mike pounded his fists on the table. “Hey! Can we all just shut up and focus? This is the most important thing we’ve ever had to deal with after Will.” 

Mike nodded. “He’s right.” He looked at Dustin. “So you’re going to come with Steve, right? The entrance is right here.” 

“Yeah,” Dustin said. "We're lucky they're both chaperoning." 

“Okay, so once Dustin and I are in, we’ll hang out in the crowd and take turns dancing with Dusty as we watch Steve.” Mike touched his fingers to the main floor. “We wait until he goes to get something to eat.” He looked at his friends. “But we _can’t be obvious._ The one who is dancing with Dusty suggests to get food so that she goes to the table.” 

“If they have chicken nuggets, this will be so easy,” Dustin grinned. 

Mike decided to ignore him. “Lucas, this is where you come in.” 

Lucas did a fist pump. “Yes!” 

“We’ll have our walkie talkies already hidden behind the bleachers. We’ll tell you when you have to set everything up and when to go. Just be quiet and don’t be seen.” 

“Can I have a plate of food with me?” 

Mike rolled his eyes. “As long as you’re quiet.” 

“Gentlemen,” Dustin said, “I think we have a plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping that this feud is successfully showing both sides of the story. Even though Steve isn't right and his handling of the situation is grotesque, I have been working to convey his pain and reasoning behind his actions. Everyone his hurting right now. 
> 
> The rib cage is ta well known wretched place. I have tattoos and they didn't bother me, but I will never venture there.
> 
> We're almost at the end and I'm not happy about it.


	24. Another One Bites the Dust(y)

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


“Okay,” Steve said, brushing back a stray hair. His nose was almost touching the mirror. “How do I look?” He turned to you and held his arms out. “Obviously fucking amazing, but I just need to know on a scale of awesome to walking orgasm.” 

“You look like a douchebag,” you said absent-mindedly, flipping through a history book. You were lounging on your stomach on his bed. 

Steve huffed in offense and looked down at his deep turquoise sweater. “What the hell? I look great!” He turned back to the mirror and smoothed his sweater down. “I look fucking amazing,” he said quietly, trying to reassure himself. 

“You’ve been wearing the same thing all day. Everyone’s seen you at school.” 

“Hey!” Steve held up a hand in a hard ‘stop’ motion. “If pulled off right, Nancy will forget all about it.” 

“ Nancy doesn’t care about your sweater.” 

“Yeah, well, girls like _you_ don’t, but other girls notice this shit.” He stepped back and looked at you. It was then that you were hit with his cockiness at full force. 

“Guess you’re feeling pretty good about now.” 

He walked over to his window and leaned against its frame. He crossed his ankles. “That girl does not know what she is in for.” He smiled like the Cheshire cat. “Daddy’s gonna bring it, Dusty.” 

You grimaced. “That’s disgusting.” You loved the guy to death, but it didn’t make his actions any less repulsive. 

“Oh, come on! How old are you? I’m a big boy now and I like to dabble.” 

You hurled a pillow at his head. “ _Exactly!_ You wham, bam, thank you ma’am the entire school and just bully and toy with girls. Nancy is sweet and smart, and now you have your dickhead claws in her.” You took a deep breath to calm yourself. “You say shit you don’t mean, and you do shit that you don’t mean. So can you just stop wasting your time and energy?” 

Steve stared at you for a few seconds in silence before he ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I think you just have a problem with the idea of me growing up.” 

You sighed and rolled onto your back. “Okay.” It wasn’t worth it. Steve hadn’t changed his ways with you and your family, and that’s all that really mattered, right? 

“Alright traffic cone head.” You looked up to see that Steve was holding out his arms and giving you a goofy, expected look. “Bring it in.” With a small smile you left the bed and let Steve bring you into a warm embrace. “Okay, how about this,” he mumbled into your hair, “I mess around here for a bit and sneak over to your house when it’s done?” 

You fumbled around before you answered. Finally finding his heart, you rested your head against his chest. “That’s going to be late as fuck. They’re going to catch you eventually.” 

Steve squeezed you harder. “I have stealth, like a ninja.” 

“Kare Raisu,” you said sagely. 

Steve pulled away slightly. “Holy shit, that was zen. What does that mean?” 

You looked up at him and blinked. “Curry Rice. I had it the other day at a restaurant.” 

That was when Steve almost had enough courage to admit that he loved you, but one thing stood in his way; you were his best friend. You were each other’s world. If he told you the truth and something went wrong, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself. He knew that if your friendship broke, he would never live a happy life. Steve was not willing to risk that. So he stayed silent and held you tighter. He wouldn’t let that happen. 

~*~

The dictionary defined the word ‘ritual’ as “an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.” Rituals were part of the blood that ran through the veins of the human race. It had no cultural boundaries and it was not limited to neither those of high intelligence or the slow. Some rituals could be considered quite strange to others, and anyone peeking into the window of Steve Harrington’s bathroom would see it as so. 

Steve approached his mirror with a towel firmly wrapped around his waist. The room was hot and filled with steam. He leaned forward and wiped the window clean. Finally able to see his reflection, Steve grinned. “Alright,” he said, “look out, ladies. The S Train has officially gotten back on track and it has just reached the station.” Opening a drawer and grabbing a comb and hair dryer, he clicked on the cassette player he always kept handy after shower time. 

Even though he had lost you to a Queen-loving, Freddie Mercury dry humping fuck, Steve really liked the band and nothing could change the epic badassery of Another One Bites the Dust. Of course, there was nothing that could ever take away the title of the greatest song in the world for one, ego stroking reason; 

_Steve walks warily down the street_

_With the brim pulled down way down low_

_Ain’t no sound but the sound of his feet_

_Machine guns ready to go_

Steve grinned like a child on Christmas morning as he smoothly ran the comb through his hair. It was a little hard because he couldn’t stop bopping his head. “Hell yeah I do. Fucking John Wayne right here.” He made a smooth swipe of the comb before he turned on the blow dryer. 

_‘And another one bites the dust,’”_ Steve lip synced, running a hand through his hair as he leaned over to the left to bust a move. _“And another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust!”_ Finally, his hair was damp. Not dry. Damp, baby. 

_“How do you think I’m going to get along_

_Without you when you’re gone_

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Steve smiled, giving his hair the first puff of his Farrah Fawcett spray. He had ripped the label off the bottle and scribbled over it so that prying eyes couldn’t see his choice of hair care. 

_You took me for everything I had_

_And kicked me out on my own_

_Are you happy, are you satisfied?_

_How long can you stand the heat?_

__Steve paused. He didn't remember it being this dark._ _

__

_Out of the doorway the bullets rip_

_To the sound of the beat_

_Look out_

_And another one bites the dust_

Steve stabbed the stop button. What the hell? Was this jam always that fucking depressing? He had listened to it hundreds of times as his morning ritual, and he had not once caught onto it until now. If he had been so blind for only one verse, what about the rest of the song? Steve decided that he didn’t want to know, and it was a good decision. 

Twist and Shout by The Beetles, man. Time to move on. Lady chaperones were waiting. 

~*~

“Nancy, I don’t know,” you said wearily, reaching out to grab a strand of your hair only to have it be smacked away. “Ow!” 

“I worked hard on these,” Nancy explained, gingerly running her palms along the bottom of your newly sculpted curls. “Don’t even think about touching them.” 

You turned to her. “So I’m just going to navigate through a middle school dance without touching anyone?” 

“Yes,” Nancy affirmed. 

“Well, what about you?” 

“ _I’m_ just putting mine up. It just takes two seconds to do.” 

You examined your hair. “It’s gorgeous, but why?” 

“Because one day you came into school with hair like Steve’s, only it was dark orange, mullet-y and you said it was because of the Ziggy Stardust phase.” 

You held up a finger. “Yeah, and I _changed it_ because Steve put beynadrel in my soda at lunch and got me a haircut.” 

“Exactly.” Nancy tilted your head. “You know, I didn’t think blue eyeliner could be so pretty.” 

You leaned towards your mirror and took a better look at your eyes. Your eyelids were painted with a dusty, shimmering purple and blue smokey eye. It was you. It was 80s. However, it was refined. 

“It’s Life on Mars blue, man. Of course it’s pretty.” You stood up and picked up your dress. “As much as I like it, I think the coat hanger wears it really well.” Before you could put the garment away, Nancy snatched it. You groaned. “I’m going to be the bell of the ball, aren’t I?” 

“You’re a walking doll,” Nancy explained. “So yes. Go into the bathroom and we’ll get going. We’re supposed to be there in fifteen minutes.” 

“I’m going to look so terrible,” you said sadly, taking the dress and locking yourself in her bathroom. Nancy quietly bounced over to the door and pressed her ear against the wood. Satisfied that you weren’t going to come out for another minute or so, Nancy reached under her bed and tiptoed into the hallway. 

“Mike? Is this dumb thing working?” she whispered into the walkie talkie. A good amount of static blasted through the speaker, causing Nancy to wince and hold the thing at arm’s length. 

“Y-yeah!” Mike answered breathlessly. 

“Have you been running?” 

“No! We had to take our bikes to the dance for complete control of the situation, so I’m a little tired. SHUT UP!” 

Nancy jumped. Her jerk brother really scared her. “You freaked me out, asshole!” she whispered. 

“Sorry,” Mike panted. “Lucas told me that I wouldn’t be able to control a boner dancing with girls tonight.” 

“ _Ew!_ ” 

“You asked!” 

Nancy looked over her shoulder to the bathroom door. Light shone from the bottom and it didn’t sound like you were planning to leave any time soon. “She’s getting ready. I think she’s still going.” 

It took a second for Mike to answer. “Okay. Dustin’s at his house and he said Steve is still gonna come get him. He promised to get him to the dance no matter what. So we’ll count him in.” 

Nancy was skeptical. “How can we be so sure?” 

“Believe me. If Dustin says he’ll be there, he’ll be there.” 

The bathroom door opened and Nancy jumped. “He better be or they might never get back together.” 

“I know,” Mike said seriously. “See you at the dance.” 

“Bye,” Nancy said hurriedly before she went to get you. 

~*~

“You’re a real piece a shit, you know that?” Steve said through the corner of his mouth. 

“I don’t want to be here anymore than you do!” Dustin replied, doing his best not to break his grin. 

Steve had went to pick Dustin up several minutes early, figuring that it should take him a little longer to get ready because of the hair (as it should.) He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but Dustin's mom had somehow gotten him miserably taking bro date pictures. He had just wanted to give the kid a fucking a ride. 

Mrs. Henderson wiggled into delight. “You’re just so cute!” She pointed to Steve. “Now stand behind him and put your hands on his shoulders. Dustin, I want to see you grow up so handsome.” 

That put a smile on Steve’s face. 

Dustin’s mouth dropped and he squawked in offence. “Wait, so I’m _not_ handsome?” 

Suddenly an enthused model at his first photoshoot, Steve clapped Dustin on the shoulder. “No, of _course_ you’re handsome. You can just be _more_ handsome.” Steve shot Dustin’s mom a sympathetic look. “You really need to listen to her better.” 

Mrs. Henderson put a hand over her heart. “And so polite.” 

“OKAY! TIME TO GO!” Dustin shouted, his ears turning bright red. He latched his fingers around Steve’s wrist and dragged him to the door. 

“You have such a lovely home.” 

“Shut up, Steve!” Dustin seethed through gritted teeth. With a final tug, he ripped Steve outside and slammed the door shut. “What is wrong with you?” he asked angrily. 

Steve grinned slyly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I want to make a good impression.” 

“There is no impression to make!” Dustin threw his hands in the air as they made their way to Steve’s car. 

Steve raised an eyebrow. “But I’m your date.” 

The air was still for a few moments before Dustin laughed. “Yeah.” 

“You’re hair looks awesome, by the way.” 

“Thanks, babe.” 

Dustin gave Steve a good shove and the boys laughed. As they got into Steve’s car, Dustin hoped that Operation Parent Trap 2 worked. Steve was awesome, and so were you. With a deep breath, he looked out the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so whenever I put a song in here I listen while I write so that I can see what type of feel it gives, and if it's the one I want. So I listened to Another One Bites the Dust during the hair scene and I actually dropped my computer. 
> 
> So the next one is the last and I'm not happy about it


	25. Magic Dance

[ ](http://www.dazzlejunction.com/generators/image-generator.php)

  


You walked into the school’s gymnasium like a gazelle would walk into a lion’s den. Large crowds were suffocating, but you were obligated to be a good friend to the only three people that you liked. Plus, they were just 14. Kids really didn’t get suspicious until they were 16 and driving. 

Scanning the crowd, you found a teacher hanging out with a clipboard. Your eyes met and he waved you over. 

“Are you chaperoning tonight?” 

“I sure am.” You gave him your first and last name and he checked you off the attendance list. Ready roll, you began to set the tables. Every so often you would look up and watch as the kids slowly trickled in and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself. The kids were cute when they were all dressed up. The girls were awkward in their sparkly dresses and the boys’ voices were cracking in their well-pressed suits and matching ties. After several minutes, you saw Nancy step into the gym. She caught your eye and gave you a little wave. Quickly putting the last of the silverware down at the final table, you quickly made your way across the room. 

“You look so pretty, Nancy.” She truly did. Her curly hair was pulled back and she wore a sweet plaid dress. 

She smiled. “You do too.” She began to pull out sleeves of red plastic cups. “Can you help me set these out and fill up the punch bowl?” 

“They’re not paying me to have fun,” you answered good-naturedly, grabbing a stack of cups. 

“They’re not _paying_ you at all.” Natalie was smiling as she poured the unnaturally red colored drink into the giant bowl. She looked at the door and her face sobered. “You know Steve’s going to be here? Are you going to be okay?” 

The thought of seeing Steve made your gut clench, but you took a deep breath. “I’ll keep it together tonight. I need to learn how to deal with him.” 

“I’ll try to stop him from goading you as much as I can.” 

“Thanks, Nancy.” 

“Dusty!” You whipped your head around to see a spiffy looking Mike at the entrance of the gym. He was furiously waving at you. 

“I think I’m needed,” you said. Nancy smiled and you made your way over to Mike. “You look so handsome, man!” 

Mike scratched the back of his head. “I don’t know. My mom thinks so, but that doesn’t mean anything.” 

You hugged him. “Well, it means a ton from me.” 

“You look pretty for someone who is ugly.” 

“I just gave you a compliment!” 

“You were just telling the truth.” Mike looked over your shoulder distractedly. “I’ll be right back,” was the last thing he said before he shot off. Making sure your attention was elsewhere, Mike dove under the bleachers and grabbed his walkie talkie. Snatching the device with his nibble fingers, he brought it to his mouth. “Lucas! Lucas! Are you there?” He let go of the speaker button with a beep 

“Yeah, for basically a year! You’re lucky they actually had chicken nuggets.” 

Mike spoke in a hurried breath. “Okay. Just don’t keep grabbing food. Somebody might see you, okay?” A weird sound came through the speaker, which Mike could only assume was a snort. 

“If I need ketchup, I need ketchup.” 

Mike’s eyes almost rolled into the back of his head. “Do you want this to work or not?” Before Lucas could answer, Mike gasped. “Dustin and Steve are in!” Mike shifted. “Are you ready?” The look of excitement on his face flattened as he was met with chewing. 

“Yeah,” Lucas mumbled. “Let’s go.” 

~*~

Steve pulled up to the front of the middle school and gave Dustin an encouraging expression. “Okay, buddy. Here we are.” Steve leaned over in his seat. “I’ll be parked over there and I’ll come get you so we can walk in like the suave badasses we are, alright?” He held up a fist. 

Dustin smiled. “Right.” He bumped his knuckles to Steve’s. 

Steve held up a finger. “Change of plans with the girl thing. That don’t care bit?” He smoothly ran his hand through the air. “Ride that out all the way.” 

Dustin froze. “What?” 

Steve shook his head. “Pudding thing? Total bullshit.” 

Dustin looked over his shoulder at the entrance. “But-but what about knowing that you’re going to look out for each other and-” 

“Bullshit.” Steve shook his head. “Dumb kids do dumb crap all the time and putting some profound philosophy over a messy accident is bullshit” Steve pointed to the door. “Don’t care.” 

With a fake smile, Dustin got out of the car. When the taillights were out of sight, Dustin grabbed the sides of his perfectly done hair. “Shit! Shit! Shit!” he swore. He desperately spun in circles and looked in every direction, trying to let out his nervous energy as he waited for Steve. When the high schooler finally made it back, Dustin was ready to explode. “Hey, man,” he said with a shaky laugh. “What a romantic night, huh?” Dustin’s cheeks dimpled as he faked a grin. He pointed at the sky. “Make you wanna ‘throw a big lasso ‘round the moon,’ doesn’t it?” 

Steve’s hands dove into his pockets as he looked over his shoulder and into the sky. “The moon’s not out, buddy. And don’t you think it’s a little early to quote Christmas movies?” He clapped Dustin on the shoulder. “You better get your game together before we get in there.” 

With his heart about to fall out of his butt, Dustin walked into the Snow Ball with Steve. Before he could even take in the decorations, he yelled, “I need to go to the bathroom!” and took off, leaving everyone around him staring at Steve, who was standing like a deer caught in the headlights. 

“Dude throws up when he’s nervous, as is custom in his tribe,” he tried, trying to save Dustin’s face. 

One man stepped forward. “Really? I’m actually doing a thesis on Native Americans of the Ohio Valley. Which tribe is he from?” 

Steve licked his lips as he anxiously looked around the room. “Ah, you know.” He shrugged and there was a thick pause. “The north one.” 

As Steve was busy sacrificing himself to save Dustin, the little boy was huddled in a bathroom stall, furiously talking into his walkie talkie. “We have to abort. Steve doesn’t even believe in love anymore. He’s dead inside.” 

“Like a zombie?” Was Lucas’ static-y reply. 

Dustin nodded. “Like a love zombie.” 

“But if Steve followed the rules of a viral zombie, we can always give him an antidote,” Mike reasoned. 

Dustin’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, shit.” He straightened up. “I’m going in. Cover me.” 

“Got it,” Lucas and Mike parroted. 

Steve’s eyes narrowed when Dustin finally emerged from the bathroom. “What took you so long?” He whispered fervently. “I understand being nervous but I was out there for five minutes trying to convince some smart dude that lives under a rock that Joe Theismann is a Native American chieftain.” When Dustin only giggled, Steve crouched down. “Focus, dude.” He straightened up and tapped his temple. “I’ll be watching.” With a final encouraging squeeze to the shoulder and a confident nod, Dustin immersed himself in the crowd. 

“Important love business!” he called, pushing and weaving through the boys and girls he currently had no interest in. “Move!” He squeezed between a dancing couple. Despite a few angry “Heys!” Finally, he saw a familiar mop of hair. He waved his hands in the air and in an attempt to catch your attention, he called you by your real name. 

Your head whipped around. “Oh, shit!” you said in surprise, wondering just how much trouble you were in. People were usually pissed when they used your real name. You liked your name - you just liked David Bowie much more, as you tended to with everything. 

Dustin finally made it to you. Although he was panting, he quickly became a real Rico Suave. “Hey, Dusty. I like your dress.” 

You looked down at your strapless bubble dress. It was simple; the bodice was sheer white and covered with small, tasteful black stars that were unnoticeable from afar. The dress itself was white and worked for all body types, which was a feat little garments could do. 

You swung your hips and looked down, feeling a bit weird. “It’s definitely cool, but it kind of feels weird on me.” 

Dustin looked confused. “But, didn’t David Bowie wear a dress one time or something weird?” 

You slapped your hands on your cheeks and grinned. “He _did!_ ” With a newfound energy, you grabbed Dustin’s hands and began to twist to ‘Twist and Shout.’ It was easy to forget Steve as you danced with the dorky boy in the plaid suit and bowtie. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been dancing before you finally stepped away for a breather. “Okay. Unfortunately, I do actually have to go and do my job-” 

Before you had finished your sentence, Mike barreled into you. “Hey, let’s dance!” he stumbled out. Steve still hadn’t gotten food and Dustin had been dancing for too long. It was time the boys traded places before things got suspicious 

You looked up at Nancy, who seemed very distracted by…Steve. You nodded your head. “Yeah.” You smiled. “Let’s dance.” 

~*~

“Dusty looks pretty tonight,” Nancy said offhandedly, re-filling the punchbowl. 

Steve snorted. He watched as you shimmied with Dustin. The Christmas lights were making your eyes shine and your smile couldn’t get any brighter. “She’s sure as shit trying. Going twenty seconds without cliché rocker chick junk doesn’t suddenly make you a princess.” 

With a small side grin, Nancy looked at Steve through the corner of her eye. “Then more organizing cups and less staring.” 

Steve held up a hand. “I’m not staring at her. I’m just…” he pouted in thought. “I’m just appreciating the innocence of youth! Damn it, Nancy!” Steve huffed, giving his suit jacket an aggressive tug. “I’m going to nosh.” As Steve left in a huff, Dustin dashed past Nancy and ran to the bathroom. 

“Dude! Dude! Dude!” he wheezed into the walkie talkie. “It’s happening!” He stood up and snuck out of the bathroom and quickly hopped behind the bleachers. He poked his head around the seats and did his best to look over the crowd of dancing kids. “Lucas! Are you there?” 

“Yeah, I’m here!” Lucas snapped. “My ear isn’t!” 

“Steve is on his way! Just get ready, alright? Our whole social structure is on the line here!” 

“Got it. Does Mike know?” 

Dustin went on his tiptoes and caught a glimpse of you and Mike. You were both dancing happily before Mike caught a glimpse of Steve. Dustin clicked on his walkie talkie. “Yeah, he knows.” 

From his space under the refreshment table, Lucas crawled forward. Leaning down, he lifted the table cloth just enough to poke his eyes out. “What kind of shoe is he wearing?” 

“Black, I think.” 

“Yeah, I think I see him. No one else in middle school can have big feet like that.” 

Dustin’s eyes widened. He watched as you turned from Mike and began to navigate your way to the snacks. “Dusty’s coming! Get ready!” 

~*~

“Hey, Dusty?” Mike asked. “Do you know if they have any Cheetos?” 

You cocked your head. “I wasn’t on the food committee. Do you want to get something?” 

Looking oddly hyper, Mike nodded. “Yeah. Definitely.” 

Mike had been acting bizarre the second he had walked into the school and even now he seemed twitchy. As he anxiously looked at the food table, you nodded. “Okay. I’ll go grab us something.” As you turned, you shook your head as you tried to make sense of it all. You chalked it up to nerves. This was his first dance after all and he was surely anxious about any female interaction. The thought gave you pause. 

Where was El? Of course she wasn’t a student, but you couldn’t imagine the Chief keeping her from the Snowball. It went unsaid that there were unspoken romantic feelings between the mysterious girl and Mike. It was beautiful to see that trauma could form relationships. 

And break them. 

The walking definition of dramatic irony arrived as Steve beat you to the refreshments. You had told Nancy that you knew he would be here, but you weren’t truly prepared. Your ex-boyfriend and lost childhood best friend was dressed in a light blue button up and a black, semi-casual suit coat and pants. Your first reaction was to call out his name, but it died in your throat. You were dirt to him and he wouldn’t want to talk to you. Your chest tightened and you looked down. You grabbed two plates and began to snatch as many snacks as you could. You just wanted to forget about him and get back to Mike. 

Although he hated himself, Steve kept glancing at you out of the corner of his eye. You just looked _so fucking pretty_ and he wanted to make fun of you for wearing such a nice dress. He scoffed and snagged a plate, navigating around a group of young boys trying to psyche each other up to dance. No. He hated you and the knife you stabbed into his back. He needed to shove his face with cheap junk food and forget that he had loved you almost his entire life. Thank fuck they had chocolate pudding. 

As both of your hearts broke all over again and Steve’s fingers wrapped around the glass bowl of creamy dessert, Dustin smashed his thumb on his walkie talkie “It’s been snared! I repeat, it’s been snared!” 

“Got it!” Lucas whispered hurriedly before his hands shot out from under the table. With ample dexterity, he tied Steve’s shoelaces together. His heart was in his throat by the time he retreated. “All tied up!” 

Dustin let out a shaky breath. “It’s up to the Gods now.” 

In the crowd, Mike craned his neck. “Come on, come on,” Mike chanted under his breath. 

Steve knew that Dustin would need his wingman soon, so he quickly turned. When he tried to take a step, his foot caught, causing his ankle to roll. 

“Shit!” Steve’s stomach lurched as he stumbled sideways. He tried to right himself, but something was keeping his feet out from underneath him. All of the food in his hands flew everywhere as he pin wheeled his arms to steady himself. Luckily, he was able to right himself, but before he could let out a sigh of relief, a small scream caught his attention and he looked up. 

You were caught with your mouth hanging open, staring down at your soiled dress. The sparkling black stars and white skirt were now covered in a heap of brown slop. As the cold dairy dripped off you, you looked up, wanting to look the offender in the eye. Your breath caught in your throat when you were met with a pair of warm brown eyes. 

Steve stood in front of you, staring at you with wild eyes. His chest was heaving and his cheeks were flushed a sweet pink. Just like you, he was frozen in place. 

_“When I was…about to cry, she grabbed the pudding and mushed it all over herself to make me feel better.” He looked down at his feet. “I mean, who does that, man? Especially when you’re that age. We’re all assholes then by law.”_

_“Well, yeah. She threw pudding at you.”_

_Steve continued to look at the ground. “Then it just kind of went that way. As we grew older, one person would smack the other person in the face with pudding, and the other would do the same to make him or her feel better.” He looked at Dustin and raised an eyebrow. “Metaphorically, of course. Got it?”_

Fuck. _Fuck._ Where were those little shits? Steve kicked off his shoes and scrambled to get some napkins. Was he seriously that much of an asshole that a group of kids had to set him up just show how much of a fucking… _asshole_ he was? Joseph? Joseph who? He had grown a little bitch skin. Of course you would never leave him. You were the only constant. You had always been there for him even when he was slumming as the school playboy and wouldn’t stop talking about Nancy. He’d jump off a cliff, you’d jump. 

His hands were shaking as he was trying to dab away the mess. 

You watched in shock as Steve clumsily tried to clean your dress. “I’m sorry. I’m so-I’m _so_ sorry.” he stumbled, his eyes blown wide. He pulled away, his hands sticky with chocolate and stuck with messy napkins. You still hadn’t said anything. This wasn’t enough. He had called you horrible names. He had been the one who had stabbed you in the back. There had to be some gesture. Steve had to prove it to you. Had to show you just how much of a dickhead he knew he had been. Simply half ass mopping pudding off you wasn’t enough. It wasn’t it. It wasn’t- 

You held your breath as Steve smiled at you for the first time in what felt like an eternity. You had never thought you would get to see such a beautiful sight again. The playful gleam you had come to love shined in his eyes as Steve scooped a handful of pudding off your dress. 

“I’m about to make a giant ass out of myself here because I know it’s the only way to show how sorry I really am.” With a goofy grin, Steve combed the pudding through his hair in one smooth motion. 

You let out an involuntary yelp and put your hands over your mouth. He had to have spent at least two hours getting ready for this stupid dance and he just raked pudding through his highly refined and overly maintained hair. Steve’s vanity had been something you had to learn to accept a long time ago, and to see him debase himself in front of a whole room full of children no less, spoke volumes. 

Before you could say anything, the lights lowered and the first slow song of the night began to play. The tune was familiar and your eyes immediately began to water at the first few notes. In an instant you realized that you had been set up by three very smart kids. 

“So you gonna dance or what?” 

You both jumped and looked down to see a grinning Lucas poking his head out from under the table. 

Steve’s eye narrowed. “Did you do this, you little shit?” he pointed to your dress. Lucas just gave a thumbs up and Steve groaned. He looked at you and raised an eyebrow. “Well, I guess we better do as he says.” Steve held out his hand and you took it. 

“You’ll get pudding all over yourself,” you protested quietly. 

Steve snorted and pressed you against him. “It’s already in my hair and I deserve a lot worse.” 

You gave him a watery smile and buried your face into his shoulder as the song continued. It was your favorite David Bowie song of all time. It was one that everybody knew- even those who didn’t listen to him. But you didn’t care. It cut you to the core every time its slow melody caressed your ears. 

_I, I will be king_

_And you, you will be queen_

_Though nothing, will drive them away_

_We can beat them, just for one day_

_We can be heroes, just for one day_

Steve had slipped his arms around you. “You, me, Hopper, Mrs. Byers, Nance, Jonathan, and those little shits fighting monsters,” he said into your hair. “We tried so hard to keep you out of it but you just wouldn’t fucking give _up_.” He kissed your ear. 

You let out a shuttered breath as you swayed. “I can’t let you save the world by yourself.” You tried to stifle the sniffles, but you couldn’t, not with this song. “Do you know what this song’s about?” you asked. 

Steve chuckled. “Tell me.” 

You swallowed. “He sings about a German couple who…” you gulped. “A German couple who are on either side of the Berlin Wall and every day, they meet under a gun torrent because they are so determined to be with each other.” 

Steve’s heart lurched at your words and he held you tighter as you slowly moved to the music. He could feel the pudding in his hair drying, but he didn’t care. He closed his eyes as you nestled against his neck. He was doing his best not to cry as he closed his eyes and listened to the song in a way he had never before. 

You were afraid. So far you had been keeping your emotions fairly under control, but the outro verse was about to be sung, and you couldn’t even handle it on a day when you weren’t just reunited with your childhood best friend. You bit your lip, praying that you had the strength to keep it all in, but when Bowie’s famous belt came, your lip trembled and the tears flew. 

_I, I can remember (I remember)_

_Standing, by the wall (by the wall)_

“Remember when we were in the junkyard, and I was about to get pounded by those demodogs?” Steve asked. “And you then you finally kissed me?” 

_And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads)_

You smiled into Steve’s shoulder and nodded. 

_And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)_

Steve’s voice had gotten thick and you realized that he too was crying. “Then I had to kick that Billie asshole in the balls and you all forced me to babysit you as we blew up a bum fucking monster nest.” 

__

__

_And the shame, was on the other side_

“I’m sorry for being a dipshit,” Steve continued. He tilted your chin upwards and you looked into his shining eyes. He pressed his forehead against yours. “I love you.” 

You saw that he meant it. Pushing his goopy bangs aside, you kissed him. “I love you too.” You gave him a firm punch to the bicep, making Steve wince. “And now and I can forgive you.” 

_Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever_

_Then we could be heroes, just for one day_. 

Dustin grinned. He had been romantically bro dancing with Lucas as he watched the entire exchange. “The Love Doctor has officially healed his patients.” 

_We can be heroes_

Lucas rolled his eyes, but decided that his friend was right. “Have you seen Mike?” 

_We can be heroes_

Dustin’s grin only widened as he pointed over Lucas’ shoulder. 

_We can be heroes_

Steve had not been the only one to have kissed a girl that night. At the end of Dustin’s finger, Mike Wheeler and El, Jane Hopper, had shared their first kiss. 

_Just for one day_

_We can be heroes_

“No way, man!” Lucas said in awe. 

“So, ya guys gonna kiss?” Dustin jumped at the sound of Steve’s voice. Steve and you were dancing next to the bromance. Although Steve was grinning wolfishly, your head gently rested on his chest. 

“Are you going to take a shower?” Dustin asked. 

Steve bit his lip and shook his head. “I know you little dipshits did this.” He motioned to your dress and his hair with his eyes. “And I gotta say, I’m impressed.” 

“Pudding?” 

“Shit!” Steve swore for the second time that night as Mike and El materialized out of nowhere. 

Dustin laughed. “Yeah! We tricked Steve into spilling it on Dusty so that they would remember that they loved each other.” 

You looked up when you felt a gentle tug on your hair. El smiled smally. “It’s pretty.” 

You touched the sweet curl of hair that lay across her forehead. “You look so pretty tonight, Jane.” You let out a long sigh and lay your head against Steve’s chest. The pudding had gotten cold and sticky, but as you closed your eyes, you only felt the warm body of the man you had known since you were four years old. 

Steve looked up and smiled at Jonathan and Nancy, who had taken to the dance floor. The couple gave him a friendly wave. 

“I love you, Steve Harrington.” You listened to the sound of his beating heart. “And fuck you.” 

Steve laughed softly. “I love you too. And fuck you as well.” 

And there you all were, a group of dancing kids who were nothing short of heroes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I cheated with the time frame, but I had to make a reference to Blackstar, his 2016 farewell album to his fans. All of the songs I've used have been strictly post 83, but I needed to make an acceptation and sprinkle the dress with black stars. 
> 
> I would like to wish a belated happy 71st birthday to the late and great David Robert Jones and give him endless thanks for the creative inspiration he has given me and the millions of people around the world. There is a niche that has been carved for the weird and eccentric to express themselves that was not there before. 
> 
> Wow, guys. Just...wow. Thank you for staying with me on this wild ride. It is the epitome of dramatic irony that I finish this on the two year anniversary of David's death as well as the day HBO released a documentary about the last five years of his life. This story was my favorite one to write so far, and your constant support has been uplifting. I've gotten messages telling me that this pairing has become canon for them, and others have even said that I have made Bowie fans out of them, which warms my heart. 
> 
> The complete playlist that has every song referenced in this story can be found [here ](https://open.spotify.com/user/213ylnekos7uay75n5agg6d3q/playlist/20y1Cc2LnCXOpXCT0vbgFQ)
> 
> I very much want to write more and will maybe do something with season 3. The reason I follow the show is because I don't like the idea of changing the Upside Down dynamic in any way. There will definitely be a book of oneshots until then. 
> 
> In the end, I hope I made you laugh. I thought it would be best to end the entire story with my favorite live performance of his for so many reasons. It just so happens to be 'Heroes.' Enjoy it from the man himself <3 ("Smile for daddy!")
>
>> ####  [David Bowie - Heroes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYp9q3QNaQ)
>> 
>> Live in Berlin, 2002.


End file.
